Philipp ClaßenData sovereignty and the ability to exercise rules for the big online platforms are important for many reasons:
* Large social media platforms allow countries like Russia to spread disinformation to destabilize Western democracies and raise concerns about mental health issues.
* Data privacy challenges arise when sensitive data is shared with US or Chinese companies.
* Much critical IT infrastructure depends on US companies. (As shown by Microsoft blocking the email of the International Court of Justice, this is no longer a theoretical concern.)
* Same with financial services - booking a hotel in Europe without using US financial providers? Currently not possible. (I have only seen credit card or PayPal so far.)
Legislation like the DSA was an important step in 2022; but in the last year it feels like the will to move to alternatives like European providers or Open Source solutions increased in the society. That is promising, though there is a long way to go.
But not surprisingly, it is getting more confrontational now. I hope that ongoing pressure like that will not be successful: