Regulation of digital giants by the European Union

Europe will create a new police force to monitor the digital giants.

It's a real revolution!

Thierry Breton, Internal Market Commissioner, will shortly unveil the rules which, for the first time, will be imposed on the digital giants.

For one thing is clear: when Europe, or for that matter the United States, attack Google or Facebook in the field of abuse of a dominant position, there are trials for years without end, that we do not always win, and basically it goes very well to these giants because during this time, they weave their web.

Hence this radical change driven by the French Commissioner who convinced the Commission and the Member States: prevention is better than cure.

The Gafa will have to comply with our rules to maintain access to the European market.

Europe becomes the first continent to regulate the digital giants.

Geographical and physical space has been regulated for a long time, with the cadastre, property rules etc.

Maritime space and air space are also important.

There remained the digital space because it is clear that the current framework does not allow content to be regulated or to put an end to abuses of a dominant position.

Hence new obligations that will be imposed on large platforms.

In the same way that banks have obligations to fight against dirty money and cannot accept deposits without verifying their origin, the Gafa will have to respect a series of good practices under pain of immediate and very heavy sanctions.

Until the ban on the European market.

It could go very far indeed.

Europe is in a way creating a digital police force, it gives itself the means to intervene in real time, that is what is important, if a platform does not respect the rules.

There may be audits on the algorithms used by Gafa.

Content can be removed very quickly.

And to avoid abuse, platforms will no longer be able to use the data of the companies they host to compete with them.

Neither prevent companies from accessing the data of their own customers.

All this mainly targets, without saying it, Apple, Amazon and Google.

These rules will now have to be adopted by MEPs and the council.

There is at least for a year.

We must therefore expect a year of intense lobbying from the Gafa to try to torpedo these texts.

As Thierry Breton says: "I know them and I am waiting for them firmly".

Another battle begins ...