The European Commissioner for Competition, Margrethe Vestager, said on Monday that the idea that power is irrelevant on the Internet is a “dangerous myth.” And Vestager called on digital businesses to pay their fair share of tax in the EU.
The Commissioner touched on a wide range of issues, from democratic control and the threat of power in the digital world to taxation and privacy.
Vestager was delivering the 14th annual Anna Lindh lecture in Lund, Sweden. Her speech was titled “Democracy and Power in a Brave New World: Economy, Technology and Human Rights.”
The digital transformation that we’re going through today is affecting almost every part of our world. We’re finding that we need to look again at the rules and regulations that govern our lives, to make sure they strike the right balance between the needs of the different parts of our society.
Listen to the entire speech below or read the text.
More about Margrethe Vestager
TIME listed Vestager among the world’s top 100 most influential people, and Foreign Policy placed her on the prestigious Global Thinkers’ list. Since being named EU Commissioner for Competition, she has taken action against Apple, Amazon, Facebook, Google and others.
More about the Anna Lindh Lecture
The Anna Lindh Lecture pays homage to the Swedish Minister for Foreign Affairs, who was assassinated in 2003. Since then, the Raoul Wallenberg Institute, Lund University, in cooperation with the Anna Lindh Memorial Fund and Lund University’s Association of Foreign Affairs, have hosted the annual event. The lecture highlights human rights matters with a speech from a distinguished scholar, politician, diplomat or international top-level civil servant.