Clouds are gathering on the horizon for the Internet giants.
On the one hand, the CEOs of the three main platforms - Google, Facebook and Twitter - are again at the helm of Congress, Thursday, July 25, to discuss the ubiquitous disinformation on social networks.
But this only represents what is happening in the spotlight.
Another fight seems to be brewing behind the scenes, perhaps more dangerous for Mark Zuckerberg (CEO of Facebook), Sundar Pichai (boss of Google) or Jeff Bezos (CEO of Amazon) than the questions of elected officials.
From words to deeds
The administration of Joe Biden seems to be putting itself in battle order to bring the titans of the Tech in step and to reduce their influence which appears, poll after poll, too great in the eyes of the Americans.
"After the Obama presidency, marked by cooperation between the government and Silicon Valley, that of Donald Trump who expressed a certain hostility towards these companies, but mainly on questions of freedom of expression, Joe Biden seems to him also wanting to do battle, for more profound reasons than its predecessors, which relate, in particular, to competition law ", summarizes Thibault Schrepel, specialist in competition law at the University of Law of Utrecht and Stanford, contacted by France 24.
During the campaign, Joe Biden spoke in favor of new rules to limit the risk of abuse of dominance by Google and Amazon.
He also said that Facebook or Twitter should be legally held responsible for hateful content or disinformation circulating on their platform.
Since arriving at the White House, the Democrat has started to turn words into action.
First, by small touches, by appointing anti-Big Tech activist Tim Wu and Lina Khan, known for his vehement attacks on Amazon, as economic adviser to the president and commissioner to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). of trade regulation).
"This is an important signal because it is the first time that a president has appointed real specialists in these issues to positions where they can have an impact," said Martin Moore, specialist in media and communication regulation policy at King's College London, contacted by France 24.
It's only a beginning.
"For now, I'm just waiting to see. It's interesting to note, for example, that he didn't nominate Lina Khan for the FTC boss position, which is also vacant. So I don't know. not yet at what point these titans of Tech must be afraid of the new administration ", estimates Thibault Schrepel.
Joe Biden is in any case pushed on his left by Democrats who want to do battle.
In October 2020, the Democratic majority in the House of Representatives published a shock report of 440 pages to lay the foundations for an aggressive policy that could lead to the dismantling of the Gafam.
A political consensus
If the American president follows the left wing of his party, can he really succeed where his predecessors failed, namely to change the rules of the game for ultra-powerful multinationals who spend lavishly on lobbying and do not miss an opportunity to recall the number of jobs they have created in the United States.
Its main advantage "is the current dynamic that works against Gafam," said Martin Moore.
Scandal after scandal, the image of these giants of the Net has tarnished in public opinion.
But more important: "It is one of the rare subjects in the United States where there is a consensus between the Democrats and the Republicans", underlines the specialist of King's College.
It would be a golden opportunity to score political points for Joe Biden, who likes to brag about his unifying skills and his ability to achieve compromises with Republicans.
"It's an ideal theme for Joe Biden," confirms Martin Moore.
But you still have to know what to do.
Republicans are calling for the repeal or reform of Section 230, a regulation that prevents social media from being sued for content posted to platforms by users.
Democrats are not big fans of the rule either, believing that it allows Facebook or YouTube to drag their feet to clean up the "fake news" and racist content that proliferates on social networks.
Yet it is a minefield.
"If we add rules, the risk is that the large groups, which have substantial financial and human resources, will comply with them without any problem, while the small competing platforms will not succeed. In the end, this will only strengthen the dominant position of Facebook or Twitter, "warns Martin Moore.
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is aware of this and that is why in his speech on Thursday to elected officials he pleaded for a reform of Section 230.
Are the Chinese on the prowl?
Attacking this regulation therefore risks, because of this financial inequality, reinforcing the power of Big Tech, contrary to what the Democrats are asking for ... The president can take up the proposals of the October 2020 report, which pushes to in-depth reform of competition law in the United States.
At the risk, this time, of having much lukewarm support from the Conservatives.
The rules currently in force took shape under the presidency of one of the historical figures of the American right: Ronald Reagan.
It is a very narrow approach to the abuse of a dominant position, which has favored the emergence of great American economic champions.
For Thibault Schrepel, there might be a more consensual way of approaching this vast project.
A reform that would be more politically neutral would be to put more experts in these matters within the competent authorities.
"One of the problems today is that these agencies do not have the skills to detect anti-competitive practices, and most of the cases examined by the courts come from competitors who file complaints. These authorities need to be more proactive, "said the specialist from the University of Utrecht.
But even if Joe Biden manages to find a way to take on the tech titans that makes everyone happy, there is another obstacle that can screw things up: China.
"Any measure that aims to weaken the power of American groups risks being seen as a blessing for Chinese competitors, such as Alibaba and Tencent, who are on the lookout for market share," said Martin Moore, of King's. College of London.
And, politically, the last thing Joe Biden needs in this time of strained relations with Beijing is to give the impression that he is giving a gift to the Chinese competitors of Google, Facebook or Amazon.
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