Facebook and Amazon set lobbying records as tech scrutiny grows

Facebook and Amazon set records for lobbying in the second quarter as Washington ramped up scrutiny of big techy companies, while Google’s spending dipped as it continued to reshuffle its influence operations.

 

The world’s largest social media site spent more than $4.1 million on lobbying, the most among big internet platforms, an increase from its previous high in the same period a year earlier. Facebook disclosed lobbying around blockchain, the technology that underlies cryptocurrencies. The company has been trying to win support for its Libra cryptocurrency, which drew skepticism from President Donald Trump, congressional Democrats and Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell and took a beating from lawmakers in both houses of Congress during two days of hearings last week.