Bill Gates Urges Tech to Maintain Open DC Dialogue, Supports Privacy Legislation

Regulating data privacy “makes a lot of sense,” and Silicon Valley should keep an open dialogue with Congress and the federal government, Microsoft founder Bill Gates said on Fox News Sunday. There’s nothing inappropriate about officials talking to big tech companies, he said, citing regrets about addressing Microsoft investigations in the 1990s. “I was naive,” he said. “I didn’t have an office in Washington, D.C. ... and even bragged about it. I later came to regret that. I’m sure these guys are learning better than I did that they need to come back here and start a dialogue.” Gates was asked about the backlash against big tech and criticism that companies don’t properly protect consumer data.