The technology sector continued its emergence as the chief corporate opponent of Trump administration policies Tuesday as the NY Tech Alliance launched an effort to help members rapidly respond to policies it deems harmful to the industry, civil rights or other causes.
The group’s new “policy action information” list will also help coordinate volunteer opportunities, like providing help to advocacy groups or supporting protests. It will be an opt-in list separate from the NY Tech Alliance’s other newsletters, in recognition of the fact that not all of its 60,000 members will agree with the leadership’s views on Trump policies.
The NY Tech Alliance was formed last June from the merger of the NY Tech Meetup—a grassroots organization founded in 2004—and the New York Technology Council, which was launched as an advocacy group in 2009.
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“We thought it was important to sound the alarm and give people the opportunity to opt into a new information service that would offer them opportunities for engagement,” said Andrew Rasiej, the NY Tech Alliance’s chairman and a former Democratic candidate for public advocate. “This is the most engaged we’ve ever seen the tech community on issues related to public policy since the SOPA PIPA battle in 2012.”
He was referring to a campaign that helped defeat two proposed federal laws, the Stop Online Piracy Act and the Protect IP Act, that the industry deemed a threat to free speech online.
The Tech Alliance’s move is the latest in a series of actions the industry has taken in recent days that have pitted it against the new administration. Tech:NYC, a trade group for larger industry players, has collected more than 2,000 signatures for a letter of protest to President Donald Trump. It expressed the industry’s opposition to his executive order blocking Syrian refugees and citizens of seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the U.S. for several months.
On Sunday, 97 of the biggest technology companies filed an amicus brief in support of a suit brought by the states of Washington and Minnesota that resulted in a stay of the travel ban. The Justice Department is appealing the stay in federal court in San Francisco. The Trump administration argues that the ban is necessary for national security and that most of the executive order’s restrictions are temporary.
Rasiej added that a dedicated information line is needed amid the onslaught of Trump’s executive orders and policy changes, not all of which get the same amount of attention. He cited the recent decision by the new Federal Communications Commission chairman to block a program meant to provide Internet service to low-income households, and plans by the administration to dismantle “net neutrality” rules.
“While the administration creates havoc at the highest levels, there’s a whole host of smaller actions taking place that are not as visible,” Rasiej said.
Oral arguments will be heard Tuesday evening as the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco prepares to rule on the travel ban.
The technology sector continued its emergence as the chief corporate opponent of Trump administration policies Tuesday as the NY Tech Alliance launched an effort to help members rapidly respond to policies it deems harmful to the industry, civil rights or other causes.
The group’s new “policy action information” list will also help coordinate volunteer opportunities, like providing help to advocacy groups or supporting protests. It will be an opt-in list separate from the NY Tech Alliance’s other newsletters, in recognition of the fact that not all of its 60,000 members will agree with the leadership’s views on Trump policies.
The NY Tech Alliance was formed last June from the merger of the NY Tech Meetup—a grassroots organization founded in 2004—and the New York Technology Council, which was launched as an advocacy group in 2009.
“We thought it was important to sound the alarm and give people the opportunity to opt into a new information service that would offer them opportunities for engagement,” said Andrew Rasiej, the NY Tech Alliance’s chairman and a former Democratic candidate for public advocate. “This is the most engaged we’ve ever seen the tech community on issues related to public policy since the SOPA PIPA battle in 2012.”
He was referring to a campaign that helped defeat two proposed federal laws, the Stop Online Piracy Act and the Protect IP Act, that the industry deemed a threat to free speech online.
The Tech Alliance’s move is the latest in a series of actions the industry has taken in recent days that have pitted it against the new administration. Tech:NYC, a trade group for larger industry players, has collected more than 2,000 signatures for a letter of protest to President Donald Trump. It expressed the industry’s opposition to his executive order blocking Syrian refugees and citizens of seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the U.S. for several months.
On Sunday, 97 of the biggest technology companies filed an amicus brief in support of a suit brought by the states of Washington and Minnesota that resulted in a stay of the travel ban. The Justice Department is appealing the stay in federal court in San Francisco. The Trump administration argues that the ban is necessary for national security and that most of the executive order’s restrictions are temporary.
Rasiej added that a dedicated information line is needed amid the onslaught of Trump’s executive orders and policy changes, not all of which get the same amount of attention. He cited the recent decision by the new Federal Communications Commission chairman to block a program meant to provide Internet service to low-income households, and plans by the administration to dismantle “net neutrality” rules.
“While the administration creates havoc at the highest levels, there’s a whole host of smaller actions taking place that are not as visible,” Rasiej said.
Oral arguments will be heard Tuesday evening as the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco prepares to rule on the travel ban.
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