European Union unveils proposed tech rules
Margrethe Vestager, the European Union’s digital and competition chief, yesterday released the first draft of an EU digital strategy likely to have major consequences for technology giants such as Apple, Facebook, and Google.
The strategy will focus on a so-called digital single market that will support growth and innovation in the European tech industry. Vestager is currently examining big tech’s data practices, including how companies use thirdparty data to compete.
The EU is taking on a global role in tech regulation, in contrast to the United States. The new plans have prompted Silicon Valley executives to visit Brussels.
On Monday, Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg met with Vestager and other officials at the EU headquarters. Zuckerberg has emphasized the need for “good regulation,” while Facebook itself has warned that potential rules risk harming innovation.
Artificial intelligence
The new digital policy includes rules on companies’ use of artificial intelligence that could set a precedent for other countries. The proposed regulation will likely focus on how governments should monitor the riskier aspects of AI, such as its use in health care or transportation. Restricting facial recognition technology is also a key concern.
“It is quite the European approach to say if things are risky, then we as a society want to regulate this,” Vestager told the New York Times. “The main thing is for us to create societies where people feel that they can trust what is going on.”
Taxing tech
Later this year, Spain will introduce a 3 percent digital services tax on the revenue of companies including Facebook and Google, Bloomberg reports. It joins countries like France and Britain moving forward with similar regulations.
Digital tax plans have angered the United States, which threatened retaliatory tariffs on France late last year. The OECD is working on a push for a global digital tax, and the EU could also consider a bloc-wide tax.