President-elect Donald Trump’s transition team has reached out to major tech companies, including Google, Microsoft, Meta Platforms, Snap, and TikTok, to discuss tackling the issue of online drug sales. According to a report by The Information, the meeting is planned for mid-December.
Jim Carroll, the former drug czar during Trump’s first term, and representatives from Trump’s transition team reportedly emailed staff from the five companies last week. The team aims to understand the companies’ priorities and obstacles in addressing drug-related activity online.
This initiative comes as Trump focuses on curbing the flow of fentanyl, a synthetic opioid responsible for thousands of deaths in the United States. He has proposed steep tariffs on goods from Mexico and Canada if those countries fail to address fentanyl trafficking and illegal migration.
Big Tech’s involvement in this issue is not new. In March, The Wall Street Journal reported that U.S. prosecutors were investigating Meta’s platforms, Facebook and Instagram, for potentially profiting from drug-related activity. Similarly, eBay recently agreed to a $59 million settlement over claims that it allowed the sale of devices for making counterfeit pills, including fentanyl-laced drugs.
In November, Trump announced on Truth Social that he plans to launch a nationwide advertising campaign to educate people about the dangers of fentanyl. His administration’s push to combat the drug crisis may include increased collaboration with tech companies to reduce online sales of illicit substances.
So far, Google, Microsoft, Meta, Snap, TikTok, and the Trump transition team have not responded to media requests for comment on the planned meeting or their strategies for addressing this issue.
The initiative signals growing scrutiny of how tech platforms may inadvertently enable illegal drug distribution and highlights their role in finding solutions.