Europe

While ITIF commends the CMA for asking whether competition policy is consistent with broader growth and competitiveness goals, in several respects the Discussion Paper appears to condone policies that would run counter to—not ensure—a faster growing and more globally competitive Britain.

France’s criminal investigation into TikTok for imperfect content moderation sets a dangerous precedent that would chill lawful speech and push platforms toward overly restrictive policies.

Despite its promise to make Europe’s digital economy fairer and more open, the Digital Markets Act has instead made life online slower, costlier, and more complicated for the very consumers it was meant to protect.

Joseph Coniglio speaks about Europe's big tech regulations at an event hosted by Broadband Breakfast.

ITIF supports most of the proposed updates to the Technology Transfer Block Exemption Regulation—especially those on market share thresholds, data licensing, and technology pools—but warns that the new safe harbour for licensing negotiation groups could enable anticompetitive buyer collusion and protectionist enforcement unless stricter safeguards are added.

The EU’s Cyber Crisis Management Blueprint establishes a coordinated framework for member states to prevent, respond to, and recover from large-scale cyber incidents, strengthening resilience, interoperability, and operational readiness while providing a model for other regional institutions.

The implementation of the Digital Services Act’s transparency obligations fails to provide meaningful insight into online platforms’ content moderation decisions, the extraterritorial effects of the act, and its effects on online speech.

The UK’s refusal to formally designate China as a national security threat has undermined its ability to prosecute espionage, leaving its technology and innovation sectors vulnerable to Chinese infiltration and economic coercion.

The EU’s overbroad interoperability mandates target U.S. tech firms, delay new features for European users, and open the door for China to challenge Western tech leadership.

Rather than blanket social media bans, policymakers should adopt privacy-preserving tools that empower parents and teens to manage online safety directly.