State sovereignty undermined by big tech companies
image: Owl Illustration Agency via Unsplash+
In his new book ‘De vloek van Big Tech’ (The Curse of Big Tech), lecturer Reijer Passchier likens the power of Big Tech companies over democratic governments to that of a feudal system. He warns of the growing power of these companies in an article in Dutch newspaper ‘NRC’.
‘From a legal perspective, the state is still in charge’, explains Passchier. According to constitutions and their texts, the state remains the sovereign legislator. After all, only it can prescribe binding rules to citizens. Nevertheless, in view of the growing power of influential tech companies, that premise no longer seems to hold true, the lecturer argues.
Passchier claims that tech giants undermine the sovereignty of states by making unilateral rules that are coercive for their users: ‘For example, when they make certain investments, set certain standards or make decisions that have a major impact on their customers.’ He believes this creates a pseudo-judicial power: ‘Companies do have certain legislative power. If Facebook removes content you posted, you can appeal to the Oversight Board’. In this way, states are not the only sovereign legislators, big tech companies are too.