Klobuchar is making a big -- and unusual -- bet that swinging on Big Tech will sway Dem voters

WASHINGTON - Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., has positioned herself as a strong critic of Silicon Valley in Congress. As a 2020 presidential contender, she will take that message to the campaign trail.

During a blustery snowstorm on Sunday afternoon, the senator from Minnesota told supporters at a rally announcing her candidacy that it's time for tougher Internet privacy laws - and slammed Big Tech for being too lax with its data practices.

"We need to put some digital rules of the road into law when it comes to privacy," she said. "For too long the big tech companies have been telling you: 'Don't worry! We've got your back!' while your identities in fact are being stolen and your data is mined."

Klobuchar also pledged to guarantee net neutrality - rules that say Internet providers can't block or slow down websites - and promised to connect every American household to the Internet by 2022.

Klobuchar's decision to make privacy and internet connectivity a central focus of her campaign could elevate tech policy issues during the Democratic primary. By touting these issues during her first major speech as a 2020 contender, Klobuchar is making a big bet that privacy and other digital concerns are increasingly important to American voters.

It's especially striking since tech policy is not generally an issue that drives voters' feet to the polls. In a survey about voter priorities ahead of the 2018 midterm elections, Gallup listed health care, the economy and immigration as the top concerns among voters. Technology wasn't even included in the 12 issues on the list. Yet if Klobuchar shows Democratic voters - especially key demographics like millennials - are paying attention, other politicians may start to prioritize issues like privacy and net neutrality in campaigns.

"Way too many politicians have their heads stuck in the sand when it comes to the digital revolution," she said. "Hey guys, it's not just coming, it's here. And if you don't know the difference between a hack and Slack, it's time to pull off the digital highway."

Advocates for consumer privacy welcomed Klobuchar's remarks, saying they're a preview of what's to come this election cycle.

"Privacy, and more generally regulation of online services, will be top issues in the 2020 election," Marc Rotenberg, executive director and president of the Electronic Privacy Information Center, said.

Klobuchar's decision to focus on tech issues also caught the attention of many closely following the 2020 race on Twitter. Rolling Stone Washington bureau chief Andy Kroll wrote on social media: "Klobuchar's one of the very few senators to ask consistently tough & educated questions of the tech goliaths."

Los Angeles Times White House reporter Eli Stokols weighed in: "She's actually worked on the issue, and there seems to be a market for it among young voters and those eager to see someone rein in big tech."

Americans are eager for change in Silicon Valley - even if that's not the top issue driving their votes. About half of Americans think technology companies should be regulated more than they are now, according to a study from the Pew Research Center published last year. Focusing on tech in in a campaign could be a strategy that particularly appeals to Democrats: 57 percent of Democrats or Democratic-leaners told Pew that major tech companies should be regulated more.

One way Klobuchar could drive her tech-focused pitch with voters is by connecting it to her broader economic message. In doing so, she would create a stark contrast from President Trump, whose economic pitch has focused largely on reviving jobs from legacy industries such as manufacturing. And in another example, Trump never said the word "technology" in his State of the Union address last week.

In her speech, Klobuchar criticized Washington leaders for sitting on the sidelines as the economy changed and Americans confronted the "disruptive nature of new technologies."

"For a moment, let's stop seeing those obstacles as obstacles on our path," Klobuchar said. "Let's see those obstacles as our path."

Klobuchar's focus on technology issues could be a strategic decision to highlight the tech-focused legislation she drafted as a senator - and distinguish herself from other candidates vying for the Democratic presidential nomination. Klobuchar has been able to draft legislation on tech issues with Republicans. As she makes the case that she's a Midwestern centrist amid a field of progressives, her tech record shows she can work across the aisle.

This year, she reintroduced a Internet privacy bill called the Social Media Privacy and Consumer Rights Act. Amid a broader push in Congress to pass privacy legislation by the end of this year, it's one of the few bipartisan proposals that has been introduced.

She also worked with then-Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., to create legislation would force technology companies to be more transparent about who is buying political ads on their platforms. The bill, which was introduced in 2017, stalled in the Senate, but some technology companies like Facebook said they would support it under intense political pressure , and the social network introduced new labels for political ads so users could see ad disclosures.

She also was a key sponsor of the bipartisan Secure Elections Act, which aimed to secure the U.S. election system from cyber attacks. The bill gained steam this summer and appeared likely to pass, but it later stalled as negotiations broke down with the White House.

She's not the only one bringing tech policy chops to the race, though other Democratic candidates have so far not drilled in on tech policy the same way as Klobuchar in announcing their bids. Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., was known for her record on "revenge porn" as a California attorney general and a career prosecutor. As a senator, she co-sponsored bipartisan legislation that would make extortion with threats to publish explicit images online illegal. Sen. Elizabeth Warren's record of targeting powerful corporations could position her as a strong voice on tech policy in the 2020 race. She's said the country needs tougher rules to respond to the massive scale of technology companies like Amazon.

Lesser-known candidates such as Pete Buttigieg, the mayor of South Bend, Indiana, former Maryland congressman John Delaney and business executive Andrew Yang also have tech experience. Buttigieg led his city through a major tech transformation since taking over in 2011, bringing startup opportunities to a town known for manufacturing. Delaney co-founded the House Artificial Intelligence Caucus and has made the future of work key to his campaign. Yang is a former entrepreneur, and he's campaigning on issues related to artificial intelligence.

These candidates know it's no easy task to appeal to voters on tech issues. Buttigieg says it's all about making it personal and relatable to voters.

"We need to make sure that these don't sound like abstract conversations," Buttigieg told me at a Technology 202 live event. "People want to know about what's going to happen to me."

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