In spite of criticism over excessive bureaucracy, the EU has undeniably taken the lead over the US in new regulation of big-tech; these ideas will significantly impact the future activities of Silicon Valley’s largest firms. Europe is an increasingly important source of technology revenue; Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and  Microsoft each reported a quarter of annual revenue from the continent in 2018. As the world’s largest single economic bloc, the standards of the EU are often copied as benchmarks for the developing world; hence European policy could have a knock-on effect on attitudes to big-tech globally.  European economic power is matched with tough restrictions on lobbying and unification of legal standards across multiple jurisdictions, helping the region take an objective and long-term perspective towards significant technology regulation. Continue reading “The New European Tech Doctrine Part II: How Aggressive European Policy is reshaping the future of big-tech” →