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3. Big Tech Sows Policy Chaos to Undermine Data Privacy Protections
Big Tech companies are actively attempting to undermine consumer data privacy laws, using tactics reminiscent of Big Tobacco in the 1990s, Project Censored reports. JakeSnow documented this in Tech Policy Press and the ACLU of Northern California in October 2024.
Snow outlined a three-step strategy. Step one: “Respond to a PR crisis with a flood of deceptive bills.” Just as tobacco promoted “smoking sections” to weaken bans, Big Tech
floods Congress with industry-backed laws that replace meaningful privacy protections with weak alternatives. Snow cites a 2021 Virginia law drafted by an Amazon lobbyist as “just what Big Tech wants.”
Step two: Complain about the “patchwork” of state laws, portraying diverse regulations as chaotic or unworkable. Tobacco did this in the 1990s; today, tech lobbyists repeat it, even creating websites like United for Privacy: Ending the Privacy Patchwork.
Step three: Use federal preemption to erase state laws and block stronger local legislation. While federal law could set a floor—like the federal minimum wage—Big Tech pushes
it as a ceiling, limiting grassroots influence. Snow notes that states and cities historically drive real change. California, for example, enshrined a privacy right in its 1972 constitution, offering protections against modern abuses.
Once state legislatures are sealed off, communities with limited access to Congress lose power. These tactics are not hypothetical. The House version of Trump’s controversial “Big Beautiful Bill” included a provision shielding tech companies from state lawsuits for a decade over negligence, privacy violations, or AI misuse. Though removed by the Senate, similar efforts are expected.
Project Censored noted that while outlets like the New York Times and Time have reported aspects of Big Tech lobbying, no corporate coverage has fully captured the scale,
coordination, or historical parallels Snow identified—leaving much of the strategy’s impact unexamined.
4. Amazon and Walmart Use Hostile Surveillance Technology Against Warehouse Employees
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Hostile employee surveillance illustration
Walmart and Amazon, the two largest U.S. retailers with over 2.7 million employees (excluding Amazon drivers), have deployed extensive surveillance technologies that
harm workers’ health, safety, and well-being, according to Oxfam America’s April 2024 report At Work and Under Watch, as reported by Alex Press for Jacobin.
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Walmart patented technology in 2018, allowing management to monitor employees’ movements, eavesdrop on conversations, and track customer interactions. Amazon uses similar systems, including real-time productivity ratings. Oxfam’s findings, based on surveys and interviews, revealed alarming impacts: 75% of Amazon and 74% of Walmart workers feel pressure to work faster, over half report limited bathroom access due to production quotas, and roughly half report burnout. Dehydration affected 41% of Amazon and 91% of Walmart workers in the prior three months.
Workers described extreme conditions. An Amazon employee compared their facility to Squid Game, noting frequent medical emergencies, while a Walmart worker explained that injuries are often blamed on employees, with management refusing negotiation.
Unionization offers potential resistance, but efforts have been suppressed. Amazon defeated a union vote in North Carolina in February 2025, reportedly through constant
intimidation. Academic research on Bessemer, Alabama, confirmed Amazon used workplace devices to send anti-union messages, monitor social media groups, and track
employee sentiment about union activity. The American Prospect concluded Amazon is converting AI and monitoring systems into tools specifically designed to quash dissent.
Project Censored emphasized that, aside from some specialist and independent reporting, corporate media have largely ignored these abuses. The surveillance regimes, chronicled in Oxfam’s report, illustrate how Amazon and Walmart weaponize technology to suppress worker rights, undermine organizing efforts, and prioritize efficiency over employee safety.
