- Facebook, Amazon, and Google spent record amounts on lobbying US politicians during the second quarter of 2018, disclosures showed.
- Facebook spent $3.67 million while Google spent $5.83 million and Amazon spent $3.47 million.
Amid increased scrutiny from major politicians and activists, tech giants Facebook, Amazon, and Google each set records during the second quarter of 2018 for dollars spent on lobbying in Washington, DC, disclosures showed.
Facebook, a company that has faced backlash over privacy concerns, the Cambridge Analytica scandal, and fake news on its platform, spent $3.67 million on lobbying in the quarter. That's the largest single-quarter sum the company has ever spent, Politico reported.
Google, which was recently slapped with a record $2.7 billion antitrust fine by the European Union, spent $5.83 million on lobbying in the quarter, a record for the company.
And Amazon, which has faced persistent attacks from President Donald Trump over CEO Jeff Bezos's ownership of The Washington Post, spent a record $3.47 million in the quarter. On Monday, Trump again took aim at the company and suggested that it could face antitrust claims.
On February 28, Axel Springer, Business Insider's parent company, joined 31 other media groups and filed a $2.3 billion suit against Google in Dutch court, alleging losses suffered due to the company's advertising practices.
