Margrethe Vestager Archives - Dialogues on European Digital Transition

Digital Services Act: Google’s aggressive lobbying proves what’s at stake

European Association for Digital Transition Democratic quality October 30, 2020June 9, 2021Digital Services Act, European Commission, Google, Lobbying, Margrethe Vestager, Thierry Breton

The European Union has finalized a draft of its new Digital Services Act (DSA), which, according to all indications, will place restrictions on and control more closely the activity of large technology companies. There is even talk of forcing them to share their data with smaller companies and prohibiting them from applying any kind of preferential treatment for their products on their own platforms. All this is in the midst of a growing debate, also in the United States, about the excessive size and power of these companies and the possibility of forcing them to be split up to restore competition in the markets where they abuse their dominance.

Regulation and ‘Big Tech’: The EU is leading the way, but needs more

European Association for Digital Transition Economic future August 24, 2020June 9, 2021Amazon, Apple, Competition, Facebook, Google, Margrethe Vestager, USA

When the history of the big technology companies in the twenty-first century is written, the date of July 29, 2020, might have its place. On that day, the four CEOs of the ‘Big Tech’ Amazon, Facebook, Google, and Apple appeared before the United States House of Representatives antitrust subcommittee, whose members have been investigating their alleged anti-competitive practices for years.

How are European institutions facing the digital transition?

European Association for Digital Transition Democratic quality February 27, 2020June 9, 2021European Commission, European Council, European Data Protection Board, European Parliament, Google, Margrethe Vestager, Privacy, Ursula von der Leyen

The challenges of the digital transition are complex and encompass all types of areas: from the defence of democratic values to purely legal matters, without forgetting free competition, defence against cyber-terrorism or data protection. Consequently, several European institutions are responsible, to a greater or lesser extent, for designing a proactive European response, without falling behind the United States and China and maintaining the standards that have made the European Union a tool for progress for more than 440 million citizens.