Where 2024 U.S. presidential candidates stand on tech issues

Artificial intelligence

The recent boom of generative AI has propelled the technology, including machine learning and deep learning, into the spotlight. AI is also causing concern among political leaders, with the European Union advancing the EU AI Act, while regulation is becoming a hot topic for Congress.

Kamala Harris (D), U.S. vice president, has supported developing principles for AI use under the Biden administration. Harris is particularly focused on ensuring equal access to AI benefits and protecting workers from AI risks. During remarks Harris made in London on Nov. 1, 2023, she said she believes the private sector, governments and civil society have a "moral, ethical and societal duty to make sure that AI is adopted and advanced in a way that protects the public from potential harm and that ensures that everyone is able to enjoy its benefits."

Donald Trump (R), former U.S. president, supported federal investment in AI research and development. Trump issued an executive order in 2019 that focused on the U.S. driving technical breakthroughs in AI and creating standards for the technology's use.

RUNNING MATES

J.D. Vance (R), Ohio senator, has expressed concerns about AI models and political bias. In June 2024, Vance along with other U.S. senators sent a letter to Google CEO Sundar Pichai voicing concerns about the company's AI model Gemini aligning with "woke ideology" and disregarding facts. Vance wanted to know what actions Google planned to take to prevent political bias.

Tim Walz (D), Minnesota governor, has signed significant AI legislation into law in Minnesota. In 2023, Walz signed a law making it a crime to disseminate political and sexual AI deepfakes, or AI-altered content that appears real, against a person's will. He also signed a law targeting facial recognition technology, requiring law enforcement to obtain a warrant before using such technology in drones.

Big tech regulation

Republicans and Democrats often disagree on the approach to regulating big tech companies, such as Meta, Google, Apple and Amazon, which are being scrutinized for business competition and data practices. While Democrats focus on business models, with some in Congress suggesting breaking the companies up, Republicans focus on regulating social media platforms for censoring content.

Kamala Harris (D) has a history with Silicon Valley that might affect her approach to regulating the tech industry. She received support and campaign funding from big tech companies during her time as California's attorney general. However under the Biden administration, antitrust lawsuits have targeted big tech firms including Google and Apple.

Donald Trump (R). During the Trump administration in 2020, the Department of Justice (DOJ) sued Google for alleged monopolization of online search. In 2021, Trump targeted social media platforms, suing Meta, X and YouTube owner Google for removing him from their platforms.

RUNNING MATES

J.D. Vance (R) is critical of big tech companies' political orientation and has supported legal efforts to tackle big tech's dominance. However, he has close ties to the tech industry from his background as a venture capitalist, and regulation likely won't be a priority as he pushes for innovation and competition with China.

Tim Walz (D). His approach to big tech regulation is unclear.

China and tech

World leaders are looking to broaden their tech supply chains beyond China, which exercises control over areas of manufacturing and mining, including critical components of clean energy devices, such as solar panels and lithium batteries for electric vehicles. China is also a significant producer of semiconductor chips used in phones and computers.

Kamala Harris (D) would likely stay tough on China, as she's been aligned with most of Biden's policies. The Biden administration implemented additional export controls on China in 2022, restricted companies' abilities to invest in certain technologies in China in 2023, and maintained tariffs on aluminum and steel added during the Trump administration.

Donald Trump (R) ordered tariffs on Chinese imports, including products such as solar panels, steel and aluminum.

RUNNING MATES

J.D. Vance (R) wants to boost competition with China and is heavily focused on restricting the country's access to the U.S. Vance introduced a bill in March to restrict the Chinese government from accessing U.S. real estate, capital markets and investment companies. He also co-sponsored a bill to increase tariffs on Chinese vehicles.

Tim Walz (D) spent a year teaching in China and has traveled to the country multiple times, receiving criticism from Republicans for his ties to the country. As a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, Walz co-sponsored the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act of 2017, and in the early 2000s served on the Congressional-Executive Commission on China focused on human rights issues.

Climate policy

The next U.S. president will set the tone for climate policy, incentives and regulatory advances, affecting how CIOs will align business sustainability goals to federal demands. New policies could require businesses to assess and report on carbon emissions throughout their supply chains, develop more sustainable business practices and invest in clean energy. On this issue, there are sharp differences between Democrats and Republicans.

Kamala Harris (D) has taken a strong stance on climate issues even before her tenure as vice president. She co-sponsored the Green New Deal as a U.S. senator, which was reintroduced in 2019 and aimed to transition the U.S. to 100% clean energy usage over the next decade. Under the Biden administration, Harris saw passage of the Inflation Reduction Act, which provided clean energy incentives to businesses and consumers.

Donald Trump (R) has denied climate change. During his term as president, he reversed former President Barack Obama's Clean Power Plan, which set limits on carbon pollution from power plants. He rolled back other environmental protections as he championed oil, natural gas and coal industries.

RUNNING MATES

J.D. Vance (R) is against investing in clean energy technologies such as solar panels made in China. He supported a resolution in April 2024 to rescind a Commerce Dept. rule that Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) said allowed Chinese solar manufacturers to circumvent U.S. tariffs through third-party countries. Vance also introduced the Drive American Act in 2023, which aimed to eliminate more than $100 billion in electric vehicle subsidies from the Inflation Reduction Act and incentivize investments in U.S.-made vehicles. "If we're subsidizing anything, it ought to be Ohio workers -- not the green energy daydreams that are offshoring their jobs to China," Vance said in a news release.

Tim Walz (D) has been a strong advocate for the environment. He oversaw the Climate Action Framework in Minnesota, which sets goals for the state such as becoming carbon neutral by 2050. Walz wrote in the framework document that "climate change is an existential threat for all people in Minnesota."

Cryptocurrency regulation

Regulating digital assets became an essential topic for Congress and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission following the collapse of cryptocurrency exchange FTX in 2022 and its founder Sam Bankman-Fried's arrest on fraud charges. While the SEC currently holds cryptocurrency companies accountable as a federal law enforcement agency, there is no set regulatory framework for cryptocurrency in the U.S. as federal leaders debate the best approach forward.  

Kamala Harris (D), as part of the Biden administration, released a framework for the responsible development of digital assets in 2022. The Biden-Harris administration also increased the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's resources for a crypto enforcement unit. 

Donald Trump (R) said Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies are "not money, and whose value is highly volatile and based on thin air" in a 2019 post on X. He said unregulated digital assets can facilitate illegal behavior. However, since leaving office, Trump has heavily invested in cryptocurrency, holding nearly $3 million in digital assets.

RUNNING MATES

J.D. Vance (R) is largely believed to be friendly to cryptocurrency firms. Earlier this year, Vance along with other U.S. senators sent a letter to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission raising concerns about misconduct in an enforcement case against cryptocurrency platform Debt Box. He also challenged the SEC in January regarding an errant announcement of the agency's approval of the use of spot-Bitcoin exchange-traded funds.

Tim Walz (D) has made no explicit statements about cryptocurrency. However, Walz signed a law this year protecting Minnesota consumers against cryptocurrency fraud. The law applies to crypto kiosks, which operate similarly to ATMs, and sets daily withdrawal limits as well as requiring operators to issue refunds in cases of fraud for new customers.

Cybersecurity and business

The public policy debate over cybersecurity has a clear divide. As cyberattacks on critical infrastructure, healthcare institutions and federal officials rise, some lawmakers want the federal government to strengthen its cybersecurity policies and bolster incident reporting from businesses. Other lawmakers argue stringent security requirements could hurt SMBs with limited resources. A president's view on this issue can help set the direction of legislation.

Kamala Harris (D) advanced international collaboration on cybersecurity initiatives in 2021. She said the U.S. supports the Paris Call for Trust and Security in Cyberspace that involves working with other countries on advancing cybersecurity and preserving a secure Internet. During a speech in London, raised concerns about the risks to cybersecurity that AI poses.

Donald Trump (R) issued an executive order in 2017 as president to improve the nation's cybersecurity through market power. Trump asked for an examination of federal policies and practices for promoting the market transparency of cybersecurity risk, which would provide customers, investors and regulatory bodies with information about a firm's cybersecurity practices that could in turn influence investment decisions.

RUNNING MATES

J.D. Vance (R) has raised concerns about threats to U.S. technology infrastructure posed by China. In a letter sent to the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency in May 2024, Vance specifically called out Chinese-backed hacking group, Volt Typhoon.

Tim Walz (D) signed an executive order in 2022 requiring Minnesota state agencies to work with critical infrastructure providers on improving information security programs and guarding against cyberattacks.

Data privacy

Multiple bills introduced in Congress over the last two years aimed to create a federal data privacy law that would set guardrails for businesses collecting user data and establish consumer protections. The data privacy issue has become prominent, particularly since the rise in popularity of social media app TikTok, which Chinese firm ByteDance owns. Multiple U.S. states have banned the app from government devices.

A federal data privacy law has yet to pass in the U.S. as Republicans and Democrats struggle to agree on what such a law should entail.

Kamala Harris (D) supported the president's call to action for Congress to pass a federal data privacy law through the Biden-Harris administration's executive order on artificial intelligence. Harris has raised concerns specifically about the impact of the Supreme Court's decision in 2022 to overturn Roe v. Wade on the privacy of women's health data.

Donald Trump (R). In 2017, Trump repealed Federal Communications Commission rules instilling online privacy protections for consumers from internet service providers. However, his administration began working on a consumer protection privacy policy in 2018 that never came to fruition.

RUNNING MATES

J.D. Vance (R). His stance on data privacy is unclear.

Tim Walz (D) signed a law in 2022 protecting the data of Minnesota students from being used beyond their educational experience, which includes selling it to marketing companies that research children's social media and technology habits.

Digital divide

Setting aside funds for improving broadband and telecommunications access across the U.S. to reduce the digital divide, or the gap between communities with access to internet and those without, can be a complicated issue for policymakers in Congress. While there is bipartisan agreement that the digital divide needs to be closed, there is disagreement on whether federal spending and regulation is the avenue through which to do it. 

Kamala Harris (D) alongside Biden included $65 billion in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to expand the administration's Internet for All initiative, which aims to improve high-speed connectivity for U.S. residents. The initiative falls under the administration's Investing in America agenda, which focused on the digital divide and included investments outside of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

Donald Trump (R) invested $86 million to expand rural broadband access in the U.S. through the Dept. of Agriculture. He also sought to reduce the regulatory oversight capabilities of the FCC in an attempt to remove barriers for businesses. 

RUNNING MATES

J.D. Vance (R) co-sponsored a bill that would provide funds for the Federal Communications Commission's Affordable Connectivity Program, securing and expanding affordable broadband access to rural areas of the U.S.

Tim Walz (D) supports improved access to high-speed internet. He signed a broadband bill into law in 2023 that invested $100 million into expanding high-speed broadband access in rural parts of Minnesota.

Facial recognition technology

Facial recognition is a technology that uses biometric software and AI capabilities to identify a person in photos or videos. Some of the biggest tech companies have used the tech conservatively -- as a security feature to unlock devices or, in the case of Meta, as a photo tagging service that it shut down in 2021. But its use by government and law enforcement officials has been scrutinized and commercial development as well as the debate it raises around privacy is still in its infancy.

Kamala Harris (D) is concerned about risks posed by AI, including technology like facial recognition. Harris announced the White House Office of Management and Budget's government-wide AI policy in March 2024, which requires federal agencies to implement core AI safeguards by Dec. 2024. One of those safeguards includes allowing travelers to opt-out of TSA's facial recognition use during check-in at the airport.

Donald Trump (R) supported facial recognition technology in airports to stop criminals from fraudulently using U.S. travel documents.

RUNNING MATES

J.D. Vance (R). His stance on facial recognition technology is unclear.

Tim Walz (D) signed a law limiting law enforcement's use of facial recognition technology in drones. The law requires law enforcement agencies to obtain a warrant before using the technology to conduct surveillance of an individual.

Gig work and unions

Under the gig employment model, workers are independent contractors rather than employees and use apps to manage their schedule and assignments. That's in contrast to temp services, where workers typically have status as employees. Currently, there is a policy debate over whether gig workers should be employees, eligible for benefits and legal protections. In 2023, the National Labor Relations Board issued a rule that may help expand unionization to gig work. How candidates see the role of unions might reveal how they feel about unionization of gig workers and the tech industry generally.

Kamala Harris (D) has backed broader protections for gig workers. During her 2020 presidential campaign, she supported California Assembly Bill 5, which reclassified many independent contractors as employees. Under the Biden administration, the U.S. Labor Department issued a rule on worker classification that took effect in March 2024, making it harder for companies to classify workers as independent contractors instead of employees. Regarding unions, Harris spoke in support of unions at the American Federation of Teachers convention in July and accused the Republicans of wanting to return to the era of union-busting.

Donald Trump (R). His administration adopted a rule that made it easier for businesses to classify workers as independent contractors. He is an opponent of unions.

RUNNING MATES

J.D. Vance (R) opposes the Protecting the Right to Organize Act, a proposed law aimed at strengthening the right of workers to organize unions. "I think it's dumb to hand over a lot of power to a union leadership that is aggressively anti-Republican," he told Politico. His views on gig work are not clear.

Tim Walz (D) signed into law this year state legislation to raise the pay of rideshare drivers. Walz is seen as a strong union supporter. As a former teacher, he was a member of the National Education Association, the largest labor union in the U.S.

H-1B work visa program

Without legislation by Congress, a president cannot change the annual 85,000 H-1B visa cap. However, regulatory and administrative capabilities give a president the power to affect corporate access to the program.

Kamala Harris (D) has supported high-skill immigration reform, notably co-sponsoring the Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act in 2019 in the U.S. Senate. The proposed legislation aimed to remove per-country caps and establish a first-come, first-served system for employment-based green cards. While the Biden administration generally favors green cards over H-1B visas, Harris has strong ties to Silicon Valley, which has long advocated for an increase in H-1B visa numbers.

Donald Trump (R) promised to reform the program. As president, his administration challenged visa petitions from offshore outsourcing firms through administrative oversight and visa rule changes. In the closing days of his presidency, his administration issued a rule to raise wages of H-1B workers by adopting a wage-based distribution system instead of the lottery, a proposal the U.S. federal court struck down. In 2024, Trump's focus has been on broader immigration issues and border security.

RUNNING MATES

J.D. Vance (R) describes the H-1B program as an "unholy alliance between government and our biggest corporation" that displaces U.S. workers. During a campaign stop in Ohio leading up to his 2022 Senate election, he criticized the program for "importing a foreigner to replace an American worker and paying them way less wages."

Tim Walz (D) co-sponsored the Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act of 2015, a bill to remove per-country caps on employment-based green cards. It did not pass. Harris co-sponsored a similar bill in 2019 while in the senate. That bill also failed. 

Noncompete ban

In April 2024, the Federal Trade Commission voted 3-2 to pass a ban on employers entering into noncompete agreements with employees, a move the agency hopes will boost competition and increase employee wages. Regardless, the debate about noncompetes and their usefulness continues, and the FTC ban is likely to face legal challenges during the next administration.

Kamala Harris (D) supports the FTC's ban on noncompete agreements. In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Harris wrote that the FTC's ban was a "huge win," noting that "non-compete restrictions are anti-competition and anti-worker."

Donald Trump (R) continued an Obama-era policy during his administration banning no-poach agreements, another type of restrictive covenant between employers and employees. However, it's unclear how Trump would approach the FTC's noncompete ban, since Trump used a noncompete clause in 2016 for campaign employees, and the two Republican FTC members voted against the ban.

RUNNING MATES

J.D. Vance (R). His stance on noncompete agreements is unclear. 

Tim Walz (D) highlighted banning noncompete agreements as one of his major accomplishments since taking office as Minnesota governor in 2019.

Remote work policy

Teleworking by federal employees is a partisan issue. Congressional Republicans are seeking limits on remote work, while Democrats have expressed support for liberal telework policies. Federal agencies argue that telework options are necessary to compete with private sector companies for specialized jobs in the labor market, especially IT.

Kamala Harris (D) does not appear to have a view on remote work separate from the Biden administration, which has been trying to increase the amount of time federal workers spend in office.

Donald Trump (R) is a long-time critic of remote work, believing it hurts productivity and collaboration. When Yahoo ended remote work in 2013, Trump signaled his approval, tweeting that "when employees are working at home they can never have the same cohesiveness as working together as a group."

RUNNING MATES

J.D. Vance (R) views remote work as a means for businesses to support parents. "I think it would benefit both the employee and the employer if organizations provided more accommodations, whether that's child care or additional leave or more flexibility, such as remote work or work from anywhere," he said, in an interview with Fox News.

Tim Walz (D) is supportive of remote and hybrid work in Minnesota. For instance, on its career site, the state's Dept. of Revenue notes that "many of our employees telework in a full or hybrid capacity."

Section 230 and online content moderation

Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act shields digital platform operators such as Meta, X and YouTube from liability for content posted by third parties. Democrats want to limit Section 230 liability protections. Republicans want Section 230 changed to restrict social media platforms from moderating content.

Kamala Harris (D) as part of the Biden administration outlined areas of reform for big tech platforms following a listening session in 2022, including removing the immunity granted to social media platforms through Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act. However, Harris' history with Silicon Valley might result in a different approach to regulating big tech including content moderation outside of the Biden administration.

Donald Trump (R) wants to repeal Section 230. He issued an executive order in 2020 to curb digital platforms' ability to remove certain online content.

RUNNING MATES

J.D. Vance (R) has supported reforming Section 230, which gives social media platforms immunity from posted content. He's also been a vocal critic of companies like Google and Meta for their political positioning and his belief that such companies silence conservative voices.

Tim Walz (D). His stance on Section 230 and online content moderation is unclear.

Space industry

Space is the next business frontier as federal agencies such as NASA partner with commercial companies to study long-duration stays, and businesses continue to launch their own satellites and develop the space tourism industry. The U.S. president will play a critical role in guiding regulations and setting the space policy for the nation.

Kamala Harris (D) has boosted international collaboration on space initiatives. The U.S. alongside France committed to establishing regular dialogue on a "whole-of-government approach to space cooperation." She has also pinpointed the benefits of using space-based data to address the global climate crisis.

Donald Trump (R) signed a space policy in 2017 that pushed for astronauts to return to the moon and encouraged explorations to Mars and beyond. He also signed a law establishing a new branch of the U.S. military, the U.S. Space Force, in 2019.

RUNNING MATES

J.D. Vance (R) advocated for the U.S. Dept. of Defense to locate its U.S. Space Force training facility at the Neil Armstrong Test Facility in Sandusky, Ohio. In a letter authored by Vance and other U.S. senators, Ohio was described as being "integral to the history of flight, and because of our manufacturing prowess, federal assets, world-class research institutions, and skilled workforce, the future of aviation and space innovation will take place in Ohio."

Tim Walz (D). His stance on the space industry is unclear.

Supercomputers and federal R&D

The U.S. government funds some of the world's priciest supercomputers, generally beyond private sector budgets, and provides research access to universities and businesses. These supercomputers enable advanced simulations for applications like hurricane predictions, drug discovery and engine testing. Political candidates' stances on supercomputing might emerge when comparing U.S. capabilities to China's and could be tied to their positions on federal R&D expenditures.

Kamala Harris (D) has aligned with President Biden on federal R&D and was a strong supporter of the $280 billion CHIPS and Science Act, which the current administration believes is necessary for the development of a zettascale supercomputer.

Donald Trump (R), as president, funded the $600 million Frontier supercomputer at the federally funded Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the first system exceeding an exaflop. As of June 2023, it topped the Top 500 list of the world's most powerful supercomputers. Trump's budget proposals have wavered between increases and decreases in R&D.

RUNNING MATES

J.D. Vance (R) co-sponsored the bipartisan Invent Here, Make Here Act of 2024, which requires that taxpayer-funded technologies be manufactured in the U.S. However, the bill has not advanced. Vance's position on supercomputing remains unclear.

Tim Walz (D). His position on supercomputers and federal R&D is unclear. 

Editor's note: This guide was originally published Nov. 8, 2023 and has been updated to reflect changes in candidate stances and campaign statuses.

Makenzie Holland is a news writer covering big tech and federal regulation. Prior to joining TechTarget Editorial, she was a general assignment reporter for the Wilmington StarNews and a crime and education reporter at the Wabash Plain Dealer.

Patrick Thibodeau covers human capital management and ERP technologies. He has worked for more than two decades as an enterprise IT reporter.