Margrethe Vestager, the EU’s antitrust enforcer who has been the world’s leading critic of the tech industry, recently wandered into her Brussels office wondering what to do with the baggage she has accumulated during a decade in that role. , which expires at the end of this month. At one point, she stopped to pick up a sculpture of a hand with its middle finger raised.
“What should I do with this?” Vestager, 56, asked. He has said that the middle finger is a reminder not to let critics get you down.
Vestager, a Danish politician who was the rare EU official to become globally famous, has faced plenty of criticism over the years. When she was appointed to police antitrust in 2014, she became one of the first government officials in the world to aggressively pursue cases and fines. Google, Apple And to try to stop Amazon from conducting illegal business practices and preventing competition.
At the time, American digital titans were growing rapidly and were highly popular for their innovations. Vestager faced criticism for her actions, with tech leaders saying she was disrupting Europe’s economy by preventing startups from building in the region. In 2018, the President donald trump She reportedly said she “really hates” America.
But as Vestager ends her era in Brussels, regulating the tech industry has become more mainstream around the world. Thanks to them, Europe is now widely seen as the pioneer with the strictest laws against tech. US regulators have followed Europe in recent years by bringing antitrust lawsuits against Google, Apple, Meta and Amazon. Regulators in South Korea, Australia, Brazil, Canada and elsewhere are also taking on the tech giants.
“It’s extremely satisfying,” Vestager told The New York Times, adding that she cried when the EU’s highest court gave her an unexpected victory in August in a lengthy tax-avoidance case against Apple. “People thought we were crazy because 10 years ago, Big Tech was untouchable. They were the most admired, most innovative, most promising companies you could think of.
Even in Washington, Vestager has gone from outcast to trailblazer. In September, when he last met with his counterparts at the US Justice Department, staff members there filled a room to hear his speech and gave him a standing ovation as he walked out.
“He’s a game-changer,” said Jonathan Cantor, head of the department’s antitrust division, whose office has a framed photo of a cartoon rat giving the middle finger as a tribute to Vestager. “She came into office at a time when not many people were talking about the importance of strong oversight of digital gatekeepers. Because of them, it is an important and relevant topic of conversation.
Vestager is now preparing to take up the role at a university in Denmark. Spanish official Teresa Ribera Rodriguez is set to take over as the EU’s top antitrust regulator.
Vestager recently discussed Trump’s victory and its implications, saying she believes Europe will continue to lead in policing the tech industry and that it is perfectly acceptable to restrict some forms of speech online – even if it hurts Elon Musk. Get angry. Here are the excerpts.
Vestager said she was proud of her record, but acknowledged the challenges.
Many tech experts have criticized Vestager’s tough approach, saying it harmed Europe’s tech industry and enhanced its reputation as a maker of bureaucratic rules.
But some former aides said the sector’s regulations did not go far enough. Google, Apple, Amazon and other companies have become even more powerful over the past decade.
“Have we moved the dial and changed the system? Only on the margins,” said Tommaso Valetti, who was a top economist under Vestager and praised her commitment to the issue in the face of adversity. “Did we replace Big Tech? My answer is no.”
Vestager said she was proud of her tenure, but that it had been only “partially successful”. She said she wished her office had moved faster and had pushed for tougher structural changes in addition to imposing fines on companies. He urged regulators everywhere to be “bold.”
Vestager said cooperation with US regulators was very strong, but that could change under Trump.
Until recently, the United States was known for its arbitrary surveillance of the tech industry. Vestager praised the Biden administration’s more aggressive approach, which includes monitoring antitrust trials against Google. In one case, the Justice Department is pushing to break up an Internet giant.
Vestager said such a major step for the US regulator would have an impact globally and could change industry behaviour.
“We are in the business of prevention,” she said. “And if we don’t occasionally use our most powerful tools, there’s no stopping us.”
Vestager said it was “very difficult to say” how things would change under Trump, but she noted how quickly tech leaders had congratulated him on his election.
“When you saw how bright tech leaders greeted President-elect Trump, you saw there was a strong expectation that this would all change,” he said.
Vestager discussed the online abuse she and other women have faced.
Vestager said she avoided reading toxic comments online, saying this had a dangerous impact on democracy as people – especially women – became afraid to participate in politics.
“It has a purpose: ‘You, woman, shut up. Go home. Shut up.’ ‘We don’t want to know about you,'” she said. “I hear so many young, talented, passionate, ambitious women saying this. Is, ‘I don’t want this to be a part of my life.'”
Vestager said monitoring social media platforms is more important than ever.
Vestager said a new European law, the Digital Services Act, gives EU authorities significant new powers to regulate social media platforms. He said Internet companies do not always appreciate that European laws differ from those in the United States when it comes to illegal speech, including racism, anti-Semitism, and terrorist material.
“If a platform is used to undermine democracy, it is clearly not in compliance with the Digital Services Act,” he said.
He said new legislation was needed to take action against companies, including X and Telegram, that did not do enough to police their platforms for harmful and illegal content.
He said, “I find it completely legitimate that, for example, my home country, Denmark, passes a law that makes hate speech illegal.” “What doesn’t seem legitimate to me is not respecting those laws.” Vestager said Musk’s closeness to Trump should not affect the regulation of his companies, including X, which is being investigated by the European Commission.
“One of the basic principles of the European model is the rule of law and equal treatment, and this should be for everyone,” he said.
This article was originally published in the new York Times,