Classical sovereignty is threatened by Big Tech
image: Markus Spiske via Unsplash
Reijer Passchier, Professor of Digitalisation and the Democratic Rule of Law at the Open University and Assistant Professor of Constitutional Law in Leiden, warns in the ‘Volkskrant’ about the growing influence of Big Tech at the expense of the democratic rule of law.
Passchier recently noted that these companies are increasing their influence by convincing politicians and administrators within the central government that intervention is unnecessary. 'Don't fall for the charm offensive. Nothing could be further from the truth.' By placing vital infrastructure in the hands of a few large and powerful foreign companies, our classical sovereignty is being threatened. Big Tech has only three values: profit, growth and power.
Passchier calls for radical measures that include cooperation with alternative unlisted European companies so that new players have the opportunity to play a meaningful role. The government has a responsibility to involve smaller players in the sector that do not have billions in profits. Passchier says that all efforts must now be made to resist the Faustian charm of Big Tech.
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Read the full article in the Volkskrant newspaper (in Dutch)