Netherlands is becoming too dependent on US tech giants
In the media image: Joshua Sortino on Unsplash
'The Netherlands has become a digital colony and it’s undermining our democracy,' says Reijer Passchier, Assistant Professor of Constitutional Law and Professor of Digitisation and Democratic Constitutional State at the OU, in a broadcast on NPO Radio1.
Passchier argues that the Netherlands – and Europe as a whole – has rapidly become dependent on mainly American tech companies for its essential services. There is a risk that these companies’ services can be intentionally disrupted or discontinued. 'The consequences are far-reaching: from less influence on what’s going on in our society to reduced control over the shaping of our future.' One recent example of disruption was access to e-mail being blocked at the International Criminal Court in The Hague.
Passchier finds it extremely worrying that there is very little attention for this important topic in the current Dutch election campaigns and debates. ‘Drastic measures are needed, particularly to improve the European digital economy.’ Europe already has several alternatives – such as the German Nextcloud – that are based on transparency and collaboration through open-source software. Although these solutions have not yet been fully developed, Passchier argues that governments should take a more active role as conscious consumers, so that such European alternatives can be further developed. Passchier is currently working on a training course that investigates how Europe can gain more digital autonomy and set limits on large and unreliable tech companies.