Digital giants have market power and power over public opinion which, combined, make them dangerous for democracy, warns a federal commission. If the force of influence of the media is not new, its current intensity is unprecedented and insufficiently discussed in the public sphere.
Companies that own social networks, search engines or video sharing services have economic and political power which allows them to influence communication within society, warned the Federal Media Commission (COFEM) on Tuesday ).
They play an important role in the advertising market, which gives them the power to set the conditions in which media, advertisers and users interact with each other, explains its president Anna Jobin. This balance of power leads to a situation of dependence for the Swiss media.
Furthermore, the same multinationals also design software for businesses, administrations and training institutions, finance university research, support media companies and invest in political lobbying.
Dominant position and loss of freedom
The platforms therefore combine this market power with power over opinion, which influences public debate, particularly in terms of information, notes the associate researcher from the Laboratory for the Study of Science and Technology at the University of Lausanne. .
Especially since individually, it is not so easy to leave a social network that does not suit us. “Users are not as free as we think. You cannot go to another communication platform alone. Who will you communicate with? So I think we really have to realize that they also have a power which is currently unilaterally on their side”, underlines Anna Jobin in the 12:30 p.m. of the RTS.
A very small number of foreign companies therefore influence Swiss politics, administration, training, research and society. And their dominant position poses a problem, because they exercise their influence through algorithms that pursue a commercial objective, and not a journalistic or democratic one. This power can be misused, warns COFEM.
>> Read about it: Asma Mhalla: “Tech giants have a fairly visceral ideological aversion to democracy”
Go “further” than the Federal Council
Traditional media already held such market and opinion power, added its vice-president François Besençon, representative of the advertising umbrella organization Communication Suisse. However, the scale and intensity of these powers are unprecedented with digital platforms. However, these aspects are hardly discussed in the public sphere, deplores the commission.
The experts therefore recommend developing a “global strategy” in terms of digital governance which goes further than the Federal Council’s consultation project on legislation in this area.
The government presented a draft new law in April 2023, inspired by the European Union’s “Digital Services Act”. The consultation was delayed due to “more complex legal issues than expected”. It should begin in the coming weeks.
>> Read about it: The Federal Council wants to better regulate digital platforms
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