France’s minister of state for the digital economy, Cedric au Euronews.next, said more regulation is needed to control a technology industry that is “developing as an oligopoly”.
Speaking at the VivaTech 2021 conference in Paris on Friday, O said national governments are beginning to realize that big tech companies are not putting public interest first.
“Although the private sector is innovative, it did not integrate the whole concept of the public good, the public interest, from the start,” Euronews.next told Euronews.next.
“So we need more regulation and we need more regulation, both in terms of competition and the economic aspect, but also the aspect of content regulation.
“I think that from a regulatory point of view, from an official point of view, it is urgently necessary to regulate the technology market from both an economic and a democratic point of view.”
O also welcomed the move by US President Joe Biden to appoint senior technology critic Lina Khan to chair the US Federal Trade Commission earlier this week.
“This is a question in the United States too, and I would be very interested in giving Ms. Khan, the new chairman of the Federal Trade Commission, a position on the law of the digital market. I don’t think that’s entirely in line with Tim Cooks. ” go up, ”he said.
“We see that there are already parallel talks in the US and Europe, especially with the new American administration.”
Big tech under pressure
O’s comments come after Apple CEO Tim Cook criticized a proposed EU digital services law that would break the company’s monopoly on its iOS apps.
“From our point of view, this would destroy the security of the iPhone,” said Cook on Wednesday at the VivaTech 2021 conference.
“There are good parts of the regulation … there are parts of the DSA that are valid. I think it’s just one of the areas where we have a responsibility to say when it’s not in the best interests of our users, ”he said.
Last week, O was part of a group of European ministers from France, Germany and the Netherlands calling for takeovers in the tech industry for tighter regulatory scrutiny.
In a statement, O, together with Federal Economics Minister Peter Altmaier, his French counterpart Bruno Le Maire and the Dutch Economics Minister Mona Keijzer, criticized so-called “killer takeovers”, in which technology companies buy up emerging competitors with the aim of closing them down.
Europe is playing catching up
O also told Euronews.next that the French government is working to help the European technology sector catch up with world leaders in the United States and China.
“There is a tremendous acceleration in the European tech ecosystem, especially in France, but across Europe, and we as decision-makers, as public decision-makers, will continue to try to create the best environment here, because I think this is’ vital for ours Economy, but also for our democracy. “
“Europe can find its way between China and the United States.”
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