What does president-elect Trump mean for the future of technology and science?
Since America’s president-elect Donald Trump was chosen during the early hours of Wednesday, the implications of the next four years are being analyzed. For technology and sciences, issues such as cybersecurity or climate change are going to be some of the issues on Trump’s docket.
Here is where Trump stands on some of the issues thus far:
Broadband, Net Neutrality: In 2014, Trump tweeted “Obama’s attack on the internet is another top down power grab. Net neutrality is the Fairness Doctrine. Will target conservative media.” If he still sticks with that — he rarely discussed telecom policy while campaigning — the Federal Communications Commission’s net neutrality rules could be overturned or weakened during his term.
Cybersecurity: His plan: An “immediate review of all US cyber defenses and vulnerabilities, including critical infrastructure, by a Cyber Review Team of individuals from the military, law enforcement, and the private sector.” During the election, Trump was vague on details for cybersecurity. During the debates, he dismissed the intelligence community's consensus that the attacks against the Democratic National Committee were conducted or at least condoned by the Russian government. However, he did call for a boycott of Apple when the tech giant fought against authorities with regards to the San Bernardino shooter’s cellphone.
Space Exploration: In Florida, Trump told a crowd that he would, “free NASA from the restriction of serving primarily as a logistical agency for low Earth-orbit activities. We will instead refocus on space exploration. Under a Trump administration, Florida and America will lead the way into the stars.”
Climate Change Spending: Trump has said that he doesn’t believe in it, so why spend America's money on it? Speaking with CNN in September, he stated, “I believe in clean air. Immaculate. But I don’t believe in climate change.”
He has condemned it as a hoax. In a statement from a December 2015 rally, he says, “Obama’s talking about all of this with the global warming and … a lot of it’s a hoax. It’s a hoax. I mean, it’s a money-making industry, okay? It’s a hoax, a lot of it.”