Tech & European Policy

Insufficient regulation of big tech companies raises serious concerns about privacy, fair competition, and the spread of harmful content. While the US has made strides in addressing some of these challenges, the European Union (EU) has taken the lead in setting global standards for regulating big tech through groundbreaking initiatives like the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the Digital Markets Act (DMA), and the Digital Services Act (DSA). These efforts aim to protect individuals' rights, foster innovation, and create a fairer digital marketplace.

The EU’s regulatory actions have global consequences. Known as the "Brussels Effect," EU policies often compel big tech companies to adopt stricter standards worldwide, including in the US. This ripple effect benefits American consumers and businesses by promoting stronger privacy protections, curbing monopolistic practices, and holding platforms accountable for the content they host.

Major challenges remain, from enforcing these regulations effectively to addressing emerging issues like algorithmic bias and the ethical use of artificial intelligence. Also, the upcoming presidency of Donald Trump prompted some companies to roll back regulation regarding misinformation. Advocacy groups in both the EU and the US are critical in pushing for consumer protection. By supporting these organizations, US donors can help shape a global digital future where technology serves the public good.

Key Areas for Action

    • U.S.-based tech giants like Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Meta, and Microsoft hold significant market power worldwide

    • Regulation aims at various issues related to these companies’ power including

      • Antitrust and consumer protection

      • Data protection and privacy

      • Content moderation

      • Net neutrality

      • Artificial Intelligence

    • Big Tech is generally opposed to extensive regulation and tries to influence policies in their interest

    • Big tech’s monopolistic practices harm fair competition, affecting small businesses in both the US and EU.

    • Data privacy breaches and misinformation transcend borders, making global regulatory collaboration essential.

    • Platforms amplify harmful content, from misinformation to hate speech, undermining democratic processes and public trust.

    • The EU’s landmark regulations (e.g., GDPR, DMA, DSA) create de facto standards that often extend to US companies and consumers.

    • The "Brussels Effect" means that when the EU acts, big tech companies often align their practices globally to meet stricter EU standards.

    • This is now challenged by companies rolling back some key consumer safety policies

    • The proposed Digital Consumer Protection Commission Act would establish a new federal commission to regulate digital platforms, investigate and address issues like privacy, competition, national security, and consumer protection and require Big Tech companies to obtain licenses to operate

    • States like Arkansas and Utah passed laws that restrict social media use by minors

    • Country-wide coherence and alignment with international partners is missing which hampers effective regulation and consumer protection

    • Without robust oversight, big tech companies can continue harvesting and misusing personal data, leaving millions vulnerable to breaches, surveillance, and unethical data monetization practices.

    • Weak regulations allow big tech giants to maintain unfair market dominance, crushing competition, and reducing opportunities for startups and small businesses to thrive.

    • Insufficient oversight enables the spread of misinformation, hate speech, and extremist content, destabilizing democracies and exacerbating social divisions.

A Path Forward

These issues present an urgent opportunity for donors to fund research and advocacy that can drive policy decisions and promote coherent regulation inspired by the EU approach. Donor support can ensure that consumer protection and market competition in the tech sector are respected and upheld. For U.S. donors, cross-border collaborations between US and EU advocacy groups can amplify impact, addressing shared challenges like privacy rights and fair competition

Funding is essential to connect researchers, activists, and advocates on both sides of the Atlantic with policymakers and to help the general public understand the importance of regulation. Funding that supports research, advocacy, and public awareness campaigns that ensure regulations are not just written but enforced effectively.

Further, NGOs and advocacy groups in the US and EU play a vital role in shaping policy and ensuring enforcement. Supporting these efforts drives positive change that benefits consumers, businesses, and democratic institutions globally.

By supporting these causes, donors help advance a vision of responsible technology governance that transcends borders and benefits society as a whole

Organizations Working Towards Progress

  • With its Aspen Tech Policy Hub and Aspen Digital Program, the think tank has helped leaders throughout industry, academia, and government identify not just challenges, but also the opportunities related to tech policy.

    Email aspentechpolicyhub@aspeninstitute.org to discuss the impact your gift could have.

  • The Atlantic Council’s GeoTech Center shapes the future of technology and data to advance people, planet, prosperity, and peace. The Center is working to identify and communicate what is required so that emerging technologies can enter use widely across the globe for public benefit, while identifying and mitigating potential societal and geopolitical risks. The Center thereby serves as an essential bridge between technologists and national as well as international policymakers, bringing together subject matter experts, thought leaders, and decision-makers through purposeful convenings to consider the broader societal, economic, and geopolitical implications of new and emerging technologies; leverage technology to solve global challenges; and develop actionable tech policy, partnerships, and programs.

    Email info@atlanticcouncil.org to discuss the impact your gift could have.

  • The Center for AI and Digital Policy aims to promote a better society, more fair, more just — a world where technology promotes broad social inclusion based on fundamental rights, democratic institutions, and the rule of law.

    Email fundraising@caidp.org to discuss the impact your gift could have.

  • Public Citizen is a nonprofit consumer advocacy organization dedicated to defending democracy, challenging corporate power, and ensuring government serves the people, not corporations. Founded in 1971, it now has 500,000 members and supporters nationwide.

    It avoids partisan politics and candidate endorsements, relying solely on individual contributions to maintain independence and hold bad actors accountable, regardless of their power or wealth.

    Using diverse tools, it mobilizes activists, monitors Congress, litigates government failures, petitions regulators, and conducts research to drive meaningful change.

    Email afleming@citizen.org to discuss the impact your gift could have

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