Eight American companies and organizations linked to the world of Tech asked Gina Raimondo, Secretary of Commerce of the United States, on December 22, for an interview in early 2022. They wish to defend the Digital Services Act and the Digital Markets Act, following his comments. ambiguous on the two texts at the beginning of the month, identified by Reuters.
Gina Raimondo in the ring against Thierry Breton and eight American companies
The tone of the letter sent to the Secretary of Commerce from Yelp, News Media Alliance, REX, Patreon and others is firm, “ We hope that in the future you will endeavor to promote the interests of all American businesses and American consumers in your dealings with our transatlantic partners. “.
Critical test phase before the adoption of Ethereum
NEW: @SecRaimondo‘s recent criticism of the EU’s Digital Markets Act #DMA concerned us at Yelp. Alongside a private sector coalition, we’ve requested to meet with her early next year.
Read the coalition’s full letter here.? pic.twitter.com/mGT30YRxAP
– Luther Lowe (@lutherlowe) December 22, 2021
At the origin of this anger, a declaration of December 8 by Gina Raimondo about the DMA and the DSA. She said the United States was closely monitoring the two European texts, ” We are seriously concerned that these proposals will have a disproportionate impact on US tech companies and their ability to properly serve EU customers and meet security and privacy standards. “.
Words freshly greeted by Thierry Breton, European Commissioner for the Internal Market. As the DMA and DSA approach the end of the European legislative process, Thierry Breton told the Financial Times in mid-December, ” So we don’t need any additional lobbying “.
The European Commissioner added, “ I don’t want to interfere with what is going on in the United States and I think it is fair not to interfere with what is going on in Europe “. He also assured that the DMA and the DSA did not specifically target American companies, a concern already expressed by the National Security Council of the United States in June.
DMA and DSA are also applauded in the United States
As a reminder, the DSA aims to monitor the moderation and algorithms of the biggest players in the market. DMA should make it possible to keep an eye on the behavior of these “Gatekeepers”, these Tech companies so powerful that they can block access to the market for other, smaller ones.
The European Union has found itself the allies of choice in this rise in tension with the United States via the authors of the letter addressed to the Secretary of Commerce. In the letter they explain ” US companies have repeatedly expressed concerns about the anti-competitive behavior of these dominant internet platforms “. They report having themselves provided evidence to European lawmakers on the harmful attitudes of tech giants.
Gina Raimondo had put water in her wine on December 17. By means of a press release she repeated, which she had already expressed at the beginning of the month, supporting the objectives of European legislation.
The usual American dissonance on its digital giants
The positions of the Secretary of Commerce reflect a classic ambivalence in the United States vis-à-vis the Tech giants: between protecting a national heritage, the main actors of American softpower of the 21st century, and protecting oneself from the harmful consequences of platforms almighty digital.
The Trump administration had already violently set itself up against the French GAFA tax in 2020 even as President Donald Trump condemned Silicon Valley to gemonies.
The Biden administration, for its part, has issued decrees for greater monitoring of GAFAM acquisitions, Congress is drafting several laws against their influence, the FTC and its director Lina Khan are considering dismantling them … And yet, the outside, the measures taken against American companies worry Washington.
The Secretary of Commerce indicated that the above-mentioned surveillance was a standard process in the United States, in order to ensure the non-discriminatory treatment of the companies of the country by the foreign laws. An insufficient explanation, obviously, for the eight American companies which now hope to meet Gina Raimondo the week of January 10 to 14.