My small pet-care business isn’t a Fortune 500 company, nor do I have high-priced lobbyists working on my behalf. I’m worried that when a new Congress convenes in January, and its members complain about “Big Tech,” they’ll end up catering to the very same companies they think they’re constraining.
While it makes sense for Congress to take a serious look at protecting consumers’ privacy online, some of the bills lawmakers have proposed would have a devastating impact on e-commerce and the digital advertising tools that support free and low-cost content and services for everyone. My company, Miller Girls Pet Care Service, is just one of thousands of small businesses reliant on digital advertising tools to keep our doors open.
Politicians hoping to score political points don’t seem to understand the damage their bills would inflict on small businesses in the online economy. According to a study by the Interactive Advertising Bureau, the commercial internet has created more than 17 million jobs — and 38 percent of these internet jobs are created by small businesses like mine.
On behalf of small-business owners, I’m asking our congressional representatives not to kill the digital advertising ecosystem that has become so essential to your constituents’ livelihood.
