The XXX Factor

The online pornography industry has historically been a pioneer of many innovations that have later influenced the rest of the internet. Among others, the …

Hayek on competition: A liberal antitrust for a digital age?

Competition is a discovery process between rival firms and can only be explained if the information is imperfect. It is the most effective way …

The risks of the Digital Markets Act

In July 2023 the European Commission starts the process of designating gatekeepers on digital markets. Large digital companies deemed to have a large user …

Chat GPT vs Italy

The rest of the world is keen to adopt technological innovations, but Italy seems to be stuck in the past.
Italy’s productivity growth has …

Telecoms and innovation

Until recently, the telecommunications market was held up as an EU success story, with Europeans emerging as the big winners. European consumers were indeed …

Where did the Digital Market Act lose competition, property, innovation and user interests?

The European Parliament, the European Commission, and the European Council continue negotiations on the Digital Markets Act (DMA), a proposed regulation aimed at curtailing …

How the status quo serves platform workers and consumers

The European Commission has proposed a Directive of the European Parliament and Council on improving working conditions on platform work. The proposal lays down …

The DSA and Small and Medium Enterprises as users of online services

The proposed EU Digital Services Act (DSA) aims to protect users of digital services, but unfortunately it also creates serious new risks for both …

GAFAM tax: the hidden truth

The GAFAM, an acronym for US tech giants Google, Apple, Facebook, Amazon and Microsoft, are constantly – and wrongly – accused of not paying …

MiCA regulation: costs and missed opportunities

Since the 2018 Bitcoin crash and more recently since Facebook’s announcement of a global ‘stablecoin’ Diem, the EU has taken a greater interest in …

The EU’s digital package and the role of national competition authorities

The European Union has targeted large online platforms as potential threats to competition in the digital world. According to the Commission’s Vice President and …

The New European Digital Services Act: Risky for Consumers and Innovation

The EU Commission proposed the new Digital Services Act (DSA) and Digital Markets Act (DMA) in December 2020. Collectively, these proposals are an important …

The Digital Markets Act: Precaution over Innovation

On 15 December 2020, the EU Commission released a proposal for a Regulation on Contestable and Fair Markets in the Digital Sector – referred …

Europe’s e-health status: balancing innovation and data protection

The Covid-19 pandemic accelerated the rate of digitisation in European healthcare systems. Europe’s ageing population projections estimate that by 2070 people aged 65 or …

The shadow value of personal data

Last month, civil society and regulators celebrated World Consumer Rights Day, an occasion to mark the rights of consumers. This year, the date took …

Is the ‘Zoomshock’ here to stay?

Working at home is something many of us have got used to – maybe too used to – over the last year. In a …

Who ends up paying taxes?

Tax shifts are widespread – often at the expense of the consumer – but governments do not always seem to be aware of the …

AI Creations: Legally Protected?

Imagine you just purchased a painting from Sotheby’s called Portrait of Edmond Belamy (“Portrait”) for $432,500. Portrait was AI-generated. Your neighbour Jim takes a …

The EU’s unwarranted attack on big tech

Amidst a global populist attack on “Big Tech”, the European Union has not just failed to resist, but has embraced unwarranted attacks on some …

The Trade-Off between Data Privacy and Terrorism Prosecution

In light of the recent terrorist attacks in mainland Europe, the Council of the European Union has released a draft resolution to reconsider encryption …

Economic Openness and National Security Can Go Hand in Hand

The Trump administration has engaged in an all-out war against Chinese technology and its exports to the US, with the President recently signing off …

Is GAIA-X doomed to fail?

As we are nearing the end of the German presidency of the Council of the EU, it is time to assess the term’s projects …

Crypto-Assets in European Markets – A Strategy for the Future

The European Commission recently published a Digital Finance Strategy which includes concrete propositions for the regulation of crypto-assets. This is the first time a …

Working conditions of platform workers

The European Commission has published a study on working conditions of platform workers. The report identifies key challenges related to platform work, such as …

The future of Artificial Intelligence

In February the Commission published the White Paper On Artificial Intelligence – A European approach to excellence and trust. It includes some interesting proposals …

France’s quest for European tech leadership

Despite being a fierce supporter of pro-Europeanism and market liberalisation in the past, Emmanuel Macron’s plans for European-wide protectionism has been relatively unsuccessful. Early …

5G and Huawei’s impact on trade tensions

With increased security risks concerning Huawei’s ties with the Chinese state and the firm’s planned rollout of 5G across Europe, the European Commission appears …

What policy questions will be created by driverless cars?

The 2020s will see the introduction of one of the most profoundly transformative technologies for decades: the driverless car. In the world we have …

The 20 biggest tech advances of the past 20 years

The 2010s are over. As we embark on the 2020s, now is the perfect time to reflect on the immense technological advancements that humanity …

Horizon 2020: A Game Changer for European 5G?

Facing the competition from North America and Asia, the European Union has proposed the launch of an ambitious €100 billion budget plan for funding …

Time To Liberate Libra?

Libra, the new private digital money system sponsored by Facebook and a consortium of other firms, was announced on 18th June 2019, and officially …

Predatory Pricing or Predatory Laws?

The European Commission has fined in July telecommunications multinational Qualcomm with €242 million as it condemns them for selling chipsets “below cost” and therefore …

A Marshall Plan for the Media?

Media pluralism in Europe is under threat. Far from exhibiting a rich diversity of opinions, content, ownership and structures, Europe’s media sector faces considerable …

Connected Cars and the EU

A motorist in the average European state spends 29 hours a year stuck in traffic. This is a waste, costing drivers in the EU …

The Case Against Tech Taxes

This paper explains why additional taxes on the turnover of companies with a large digital presence would be disproportionate, discriminatory and damage the European …

Cherry picked winners: Why the concept of national champions is flawed

There is a current trend for corporate protectionism growing in the heart of the EU. Both the French and the German government as well …

Copyright Directive: The Regulation That Will Change The Internet

Yesterday, the European Parliament voted in favour of the Directive on Copyright in the Digital Single Market, in one of the final stages before it becomes …