Digital Agenda

With the European Commission unveiling its digital strategy this week, we take a look at how media in Spain, the Netherlands, Germany and Portugal are reporting on digital innovation in a European context.

Brussels in the Clouds

El País takes stock of the European Commission’s data strategy, in particular when it comes to the management and use of data to support the EU’s economy. The article mentions how the Commission plans to connect existing storage platforms to create a large cloud where EU citizens’ data could be collected and shared. For this, the EU envisages a common space that interconnects cloud services from different providers and shares data with important sectors, including the financial sector. While it could take up to three years to put this plan into practice, such a space could make EU firms less dependent on US companies. While the plans still need to be further developed, the EU will also need to clarify the legal use of data for industrial purposes, which could represent a market value of around €1.5 trillion by 2027.



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Trust Issues

De Volkskrant offers its thoughts on the EU's new package of digital measures and tries to assess whether these proposals will allow the EU to keep up with countries like China and the US, who are currently leading in the tech race. Asking experts for their insights, the article highlights winning points but also shortcomings of the Commission’s plans. By taking a clear stance on ethics and values, Europe can influence companies such as Google and Facebook, who know they risk fines if they don’t cooperate. However, a problem is the lack of an ambitious European strategy for the development of AI talent. Meanwhile, the EU has put a large emphasis on the fact that citizens must trust the digital world as much as the old-fashioned systems. To accomplish this, the EU will need to properly address the problems of disinformation and hate speech on the large platforms. 



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The H Word

Deutsche Welle writes how during the Security Conference in Munich last weekend, cybersecurity experts discussed the emerging digital future, including the challenges of 5G and potential threats posed by the Chinese telecoms manufacturer Huawei. While Europe has been trying to invest more in 5G technology, European governments are wary of the security risks. Quoting Margaritis Schinas, the European Commission Vice-President whose responsibilites include security, the article highlights that "Europe's approach to security remains fragmented" but that Member States will have to cooperate and share intelligence on this. Speaking with a representative of the US cybersecurity firm FireEye, Deutsche Welle adds that while autocratic governments can sometimes try and hive off their networks, the democratic instinct should be to cooperate to address security threats and to build trust around sharing data.



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Don't be fooled

Sol examines the possible consequences of a growing popularity of applications that enable users to create fake, yet realistic looking videos, or 'deepfakes'. While the less experienced users might use them for entertainment or to mock celebrities or politicians that they do not support, these technologies hold a dangerous potential when used on a wider scale where they can support manipulative disinformation campaigns. Sol recalls a study conducted by INOV-INESC, a Portuguese institute dedicated to technological development, which shows that a large part of the population consumes news without checking the information for validity. Consequently, their opinions on important matters might be affected by altered facts. The article mentions the EU-funded EUNOMIA project as one of the tools protecting the public from manipulated information by creating a platform that checks content and the reliability of the source on social media. 





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