The current storm of political attacks on big tech in Washington D.C. reminds me of a period in the 1990s, when the television industry was facing bipartisan outrage over the amount of sex and violence on TV. Back then, just as is happening now in tech, elements of the entertainment industry tried to shift the blame to other parts: local stations blamed the broadcast networks while the broadcast networks blamed the cable industry.
Enter Jack Valenti, then CEO of the Motion Picture Association of America. He rallied the entire industry to extend the content rating system created for movies to television. The labeling of TV shows for sex and and violence defused the controversy.
