Marietje Schaake, a former Member of the European Parliament and now a cybersecurity expert at Stanford University, discusses her book The Tech Coup, highlighting how the global failure to effectively regulate digital technologies poses a serious threat to individual rights and democratic freedoms across the world.
In a recent Hardtalk interview, Marietje Schaake, a prominent cyber analyst at Stanford University and former Member of the European Parliament, expressed deep concerns about the growing influence of Silicon Valley’s tech giants on global democracy. Schaake, who now works at the intersection of policy, technology, and governance, shared insights from her latest book, The Tech Coup: How to Save Democracy from Silicon Valley, in which she explores the mounting risks posed by unchecked corporate power in the tech industry.
Schaake argues that the concentration of power in companies like Apple, Google, Amazon, and others is increasingly undermining democratic governance. She points to how these corporations, mostly born in Silicon Valley, are not just influencing economies but also shaping policies and freedoms in countries far beyond the United States.
Schaake underlined during the discussion that Silicon Valley is not just a hub of innovation and capital, but also of immense political power. She expressed particular concern that the scale and scope of these companies, alongside the technologies they control, are running ahead of the democratic systems designed to hold them accountable.
Digital Threats to Privacy and Democracy
Schaake highlighted the global nature of the threat, noting that concerns aren’t limited to the U.S. or Western democracies. Digital threats to privacy and democratic freedoms also come from other powerful states like China and India, where the tech landscape operates with very different governance structures.
She explained that as tech companies grow more powerful, they increasingly operate in a regulatory vacuum, taking advantage of the slow pace at which governments have responded to the tech revolution. One key theme of the discussion was the growing divide between technological innovation and democratic oversight. “There’s too little focus on where all democracy is at stake when we look at the power to make decisions that tech companies have,” Schaake warned.
The Role of Figures Like Elon Musk
During the interview, Schaake also addressed the role of influential tech leaders like Elon Musk. She referenced his control of infrastructure that carries geopolitical importance, such as Starlink satellites and undersea cables that control much of the world’s internet traffic. These technologies, she explained, have profound national security and geopolitical consequences, yet they are controlled by private interests, creating a gray area in terms of accountability and oversight.
Schaake pointed to Musk’s recent support of Donald Trump in the U.S. presidential election, illustrating the potentially dangerous intersection of tech influence and political power. She said Musk’s actions show how tech leaders can shape public discourse and policy, often without sufficient checks and balances.
Schaake also referenced Musk’s selective stance on free speech on platforms like X (formerly Twitter), where he controls where ads are placed and the types of content that get promoted or restricted. “Elon Musk is selective in his use of freedom of expression,” Schaake said, pointing to the underlying threat to public debate and the right to know.
The Broader Ecosystem of Tech
In addition to the major players like Google and Apple, Schaake also underscored the dangers posed by smaller companies developing equally potent technologies. She mentioned spyware as one of the most aggressive forms of anti-democratic technology, with the ability to invade personal devices without any overt actions from the user. This technology has been used to target civil society leaders, opposition politicians, and journalists, undermining both privacy and democracy on a global scale. Schaake has actively campaigned against spyware and surveillance technologies, arguing for stronger regulations to protect individuals and democratic institutions from such invasive tools.
A Global Clash of Values
Schaake acknowledged that her warnings are not universally accepted. She cited the case of Robert Atkinson from the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, who criticized her stance as too focused on European values of stability and incumbent protection, as opposed to the U.S. focus on innovation and growth. Schaake dismissed this critique, arguing that it falsely pits regulation against innovation. In her view, regulation is necessary to preserve democratic values in the face of rampant technological development.
Schaake also highlighted the cultural divide between the U.S. and Europe when it comes to tech regulation. While Europe has made strides in areas like privacy protections, she expressed disappointment that the U.S. government has been slower to act, even though it faces many of the same threats from unchecked technological growth.
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