Even if the EU Commission holds the line, and laws like the DSA, DMA and GDPR start to push large online platforms into introducing tangible improvements, the core of the problem is hardly solved: Corporations like Meta, X and Tiktok have too much power. This power puts our entire public debate and even electoral campaigns at risk, as they depend on the goodwill of a small handful of Silicon Valley billionaires. This power also extends to our public infrastructure, access to essential services, and core functions of our States in ways that may soon become irreversible.
That’s why there has never been a more fitting moment for the EU and its member states to start seriously addressing our dependency on Big Tech and invest in real alternative models and services, including investing in Europe’s sovereign digital commons. The EU and member states should build up independent public funding mechanisms, like the EU’s Next Generation Internet programme but bigger, to support the development of sovereign free1 and open source software that can contribute to the resilience of our public digital infrastructure.
These public funds should be subject to conditionality, and not be spent on “AI hyperscalers” or “lighting-fast growing unicorns” that eventually reproduce exploitative business models and further consolidate the economic and political power of large tech corporations. Instead, they must be reserved for open digital infrastructure, software, hardware and standards, similar to what the NLnet Foundation and the Sovereign Tech Agency are already doing on a smaller scale.
This includes the core internet infrastructure that is mostly invisible to users, but could also be extended to projects like an open search index that can be used by innovative, more ethical search engines without having to rely on Google’s or Bing’s indexes, or an open browser engine that can be used by browser makers without being dependent on Google’s Blink engine. In order to address the threats outlined in this article, we also need substantial investment into non-commercial, decentralised public interest social media software like Mastodon, Peertube and other key pieces of the Fediverse.
With the US moving further away from its democratic path, Europe must show leadership to build a better digital future for people, democracy and the planet now.
Thank God we still have the EU…
These public funds should be subject to conditionality, and not be spent on “AI hyperscalers” or “lighting-fast growing unicorns” that eventually reproduce exploitative business models and further consolidate the economic and political power of large tech corporations. Instead, they must be reserved for open digital infrastructure, software, hardware and standards, similar to what the NLnet Foundation and the Sovereign Tech Agency are already doing on a smaller scale.
Boring. Good. Boring is good and Europe does boring well.
The US keeps moving to the right, soon the EU will be too far into the left for them, the alliance between the two likely won’t survive.
US is like russia, it thinks its hot shit but its worthless without being able to trade.
Not exactly. US keeps making up money, and invests heavily into military to get everyone accept USD “or else”. Russia thought it could coast on ex-USSR military, then skim off the top at every step of spending. They both need trade, but one has the means to enforce it, while the other doesn’t.
The US oligarchs skim off the top of our military spending as well and every year it gets worse and worse. There are so many US soldiers living on food stamps while simultaneously their positions keep getting cut .
Suppose the fediverse becomes widely used. At some point, people will figure out how to profit from it. Although it is a decentralized platform, I can see particular instances becoming dominant and walling off other instances.
How can we prevent users from being stuck behind walled gardens like this? Is it possible to make accounts portable, so if a particular instance becomes unusable one could easily move between them?
The answer is obvious: we must forever be completely advertiser-unfriendly and absolutely unmarketable. With every piece of porn, every post on digital piracy, every swearword, we do our part to protect the fediverse’s independence.
Have you ever seen the advertisements on the pirate bay? There is a market for everything.
THIS GAME WILL MAKE YOU CUM IN 30 SECONDS!
I hope not mate, I’m on the bus.
To solve the core problem, FOR THE EU, THR ORGANISATION we have to curb the immense grip Big Tech has on our institutions and invest in independent digital alternatives.
They are categorically not interested in solving the core problem of society, and why and how we got to this point in the first place, but simply to maintain the status quo where they are the ones in control (which, while better than active fascism, has and always will be a placeholder for it, as long as they refuse to abolish capitalism).
Don’t be fooled.
Did you even click the link?
Your quote is not accurate, it is edited.
The entire text is about more (re-)decentralization, more individual autonomy, open source.
It doesn’t matter, they’re a 21st century commie. If it doesn’t have Putin or Xi’s blessing, it’s bad.
