Recent years have seen an acceleration in moves to regulate big tech, through privacy and competition rules and other new tools like attempts to contain ‘illegal online content’. In the meantime, the biggest companies seem to get yet more powerful, with their business models barely affected. This discussion will explore how restrictions and costs of getting to court, as well as underlying growing inequality, are holding back fundamental rights, and what can be done about it.
• Of what value are all these laws when the worst offenders seem able to leverage their lobbying and litigation resources to act with impunity?
• How can citizens overcome rules on ‘standing’ to contest decisions like on mergers that seem threaten civil liberties, democracy and free markets with ‘death by a thousand cuts’?
• Are our analytical tools legalistic and outdated?
• What can a democracy do to ensure equality before the law in the face of big tech?
