With Trumponomics around the corner, social media companies prepare for deregulation. By announcing to roll back moderation and fact-checking on Meta’s platforms, Mark Zuckerberg set the company on a collision course with the European Union. The EU’s new Digital Services Act (DSA) mandates limited spread of misinformation. It’s exemplary of the contrast in regulatory philosophies between the EU and the US.
During the evening Can Europe regulate AI?, Marietje Schaake – author of The Tech Coup – and Haroon Sheikh – author of the book Atlas of the Digital World – share their views on the regulatory schism between the EU and US. Moderator Jurriaan Parie shares a sneak peek of the book presentation and discussion.
Across every layer of the tech stack, Europe lags behind the US and China. From rare earth materials to the chip industry and cloud platforms, Europe struggles to maintain a competitive edge. How concerning is this gap? Can industrial policy and trade barriers foster the rise of European tech champions? Or can Europe revive by creating deeper capital markets to pump and dump tech unicorns?
Haroon Sheikh challenges this pessimism, arguing that “European regulation of tech companies is often laughed at, but unfairly so. The EU holds significant influence in this area”. This influence contributes to our technological nomos: ordering, appropriation and exercise of power in the digital world.
Marietje Schaake underscores that, above all, democracy should be saved from Silicon Valley: “Innovation is not the highest goal of democratic governments, nor should it be. It is far more important to ensure that various trade-offs – between innovation and safety, digitalization and non-discrimination – are made in accordance with the principles of the rule of law.”
But how future-proof is the rule-based order against the rhetoric of strongmen? Two years after acquiring Twitter, Elon Musk has become the sole advisory board member of X. Will Mark Zuckerberg follow as the next tech autocrat, or will (European) regulatory efforts ultimately ensure that the age of information will be reconciled with democratic tradition?
