Hasty Briefsbeta

The EU has let US tech giants run riot. Diluting law will entrench their power

9 days ago
  • #Tech Sovereignty
  • #GDPR
  • #AI Regulation
  • Europe is moving towards digital vassalage under Ursula von der Leyen's leadership, with delayed or unenforced tech laws.
  • Leaked documents suggest the European Commission plans to weaken Europe’s digital rulebook, favoring US tech giants over European innovators.
  • The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), once celebrated, is now at risk of being diluted to boost Europe’s tech sector, especially AI.
  • China’s strict AI regulations have not hindered its AI innovation, contrasting with Europe’s lax enforcement of its own rules.
  • Meta and other US tech firms exploit weak GDPR enforcement, using data across unrelated services to build monopolies.
  • Proposed GDPR changes could legitimize ill-gotten AI training data and weaken protections for intimate data, exposing children to harmful algorithms.
  • The European Commission’s plans may violate EU fundamental rights and bypass democratic scrutiny.
  • Enforcing GDPR could disrupt US tech monopolies, protect democracy, and create space for European startups.
  • Ireland’s poor GDPR enforcement record, including appointing an ex-Meta lobbyist as data protection commissioner, is a significant issue.
  • Scientists have criticized von der Leyen’s optimistic AI predictions, highlighting the unprofitability of large language models.
  • Europe should enforce existing laws rather than deregulate, to defend sovereignty and foster innovation.