Cory Doctorow joins European civil society to demand rebalancing of digital power
- Open Rights Group (ORG) and 28 civil society organisations raise concerns about the concentration of power and lack of alternatives in digital markets.
- ORG calls for the UK government to develop its own digital sovereignty strategy.
- The demands are supported by author, activist and ORG co-founder Cory Doctorow.
Breaking Free: Pathways to a fair technological future
Open letter to EU Institutions
Breaking Free from Big Tech
ORG and European civil society organisations have warned about the reliance on a few dominant companies for digital infrastructure, particularly in light of recent geopolitical uncertainty.
The organisations have written to European Institutions calling for urgent action to be taken to rebalance the power between individuals, Big Tech and alternative providers.
The organisations’ demands are supported by author, activist and ORG co-founder Cory Doctorow, who coined the term ‘enshittification’ to describe the degradation of online platforms and digital services.
James Baker, Programme Manager for Platform Power said:
“We need to end the dominance of Big Tech companies who lock users, businesses and governments into using services that are underpinned by harmful business models.
“The EU and the UK need to take action to rebalance this power, promote competition and support alternatives to Big Tech.
“This is not only to protect consumers but it is also matter of national security, especially given ongoing geopolitical uncertainty.“
Key concerns
Big tech companies are using their power and resources to steer innovation and the markets, lobby decision-makers and normalise business models that are not compatible with fundamental rights.
Because of their dominance, tech companies lock individuals, businesses and government in to their services, which they can degrade without consequences – known as enshittification.
The organisations’ concerns – and the solutions – have been outlined in more detail in a new report, Breaking Free – Pathways to a Fair Technological Future, published today by the Norwegian Consumer Council.
UK digital sovereignty
ORG is calling on the government to create a digital sovereignty strategy that would ensure the UK has more control over its digital infrastructure and fairer, more equitable systems.
In recent years, the tech lobby has pressed hard to halt AI regulation, limit data protection, and reduce the impact of competition law in the UK.
Open Rights Group is calling for parliament to develop a digital sovereignty strategy that would:
- Use open-source software that the UK can control.
- Make sure critical systems can’t be switched off by someone else.
- Diversify suppliers – include more UK companies that helps grow our economy.
- Use market competition rules to tackle platform lock-in and service degradation, including enforcing interoperability, data portability, and restrictions on anti-competitive practices that trap users and businesses.
