Fourteen major Internet companies, including Amazon.com (Nasdaq: AMZN), Facebook (Nasdaq: FB), and Google (Nasdaq: GOOG), today revealed details of their new lobbying effort, The Internet Association, which is aimed at being "the unified voice of the Internet economy in Washington."
The association released its full list of members today after a press release back in July laid the groundwork. The member companies are Amazon, Facebook, Google, AOL, eBay, Expedia, IAC, LinkedIn, Monster Worldwide, Rackspace, salesforce.com, TripAdvisor, Yahoo!, and Zynga.
The companies hope to promote a "free and innovative" Internet. Three primary points of advocacy are at the group's core: protecting Internet freedom, fostering innovation and economic growth, and empowering users, according to a press release by the association.
The association's plans include educating legislators about the impact of the Internet and Internet companies on job creation and economic welfare. Internet Association President and CEO Michael Beckerman said: "A free and innovative Internet is vital to our nation's economic growth." Companies in the Internet sphere have stepped up lobbying this year; Google has spent $9 million in such efforts through the first half of 2012, compared to $3.5 million in the same period last year, reported The Washington Post.
The move comes after numerous companies resisted the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and Protect IP Act (PIPA) last year in concerns over censorship and drastically affected business. The Internet Association could address issues such as Web privacy and piracy in light of such bills.
