The Big Story: Data privacy takes center stage. Engine Executive Director Evan Engstrom testified before the Senate Commerce subcommittee on consumer protection this week to discuss the impact privacy regulations have on startups. Evan stressed the need for lawmakers to craft a comprehensive national privacy framework that balances strong consumer protections with reasonable requirements for startups on bootstrap budgets.

The Big Story: More scrutiny on Internet platforms. Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle are renewing scrutiny of how Internet platforms moderate users’ content, adding to the criticism of a foundational law that protects Internet platforms of all sizes.

The Big Story: Proposed tech breakup bad for startups. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) made waves this week when she called for the breakup of several big tech companies, alleging that they have “too much power over our economy, our society, and our democracy.”

The Big Story: The new push for net neutrality. Democrats came out this week with legislation to restore the 2015 net neutrality rules that kept Internet service providers from blocking or slowing access to content online and from charging companies for better access to users.

The Big Story: High stakes for trade deals. U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer testified to Congress this week to address several important trade issues impacting startups. On China, it looks unlikely that we will see a resolution to the trade war or a decrease in tariffs soon, although the Administration has started to make some progress with the Chinese on issues like intellectual property theft and forced technology transfers.

The Big Story: Back-to-back privacy hearings. Lawmakers on both sides of the capitol will hold privacy hearings this week as Congress gets increasingly serious about putting federal privacy protections on the book.