Call for global technology pact after rise of SpaceX
In the media image: Jérôme Boursier on Unsplash
The rise of companies like SpaceX shows that states must cooperate more closely on technology, argues Reijer Passchier, Professor of Digitalisation and the Democratic Constitutional State (OU) and lecturer in constitutional law, in an op-ed in ‘de Volkskrant’.
The growing dependence on a handful of Big Tech companies makes states vulnerable, Passchier says. The rise of SpaceX shows, in his view, that critical infrastructure and strategic technologies are no longer exclusively in the hands of individual states. ‘The power of tech companies has become so great that only by acting together can countries offer an effective counterbalance,’ Passchier adds.
According to Passchier, an international technology pact between states is therefore necessary. It would allow governments to make agreements about public values, strategic autonomy and democratic control. 'Technology is not only an economic issue, but also a geopolitical and constitutional matter,' Passchier says. He warns that without joint agreements, the influence of Big Tech companies will continue to grow and the democratic rule of law will come under even more pressure.
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Read the full article in de Volkskrant (in Dutch)