US: Free Speech for Us, Not for European Tech Regulators
When the EU's Digital Markets Act (DMA) began to bite into the unfettered power of Silicon Valley giants in 2024, the US response was swift, but not direct. Instead of engaging on policy, the Biden administration, as reported by the FT, resorted to denying visas to EU officials deemed too enthusiastic about regulating US tech firms. This isn't just about 'tech rules'; it's about extraterritorial
control disguised as diplomacy. This move highlights a peculiar American exceptionalism: criticize our foreign policy, regulate our banks, fine our pharma companies—fine. But touch our tech behemoths, whose market capitalization often dwarfs sovereign nations' GDPs, and suddenly diplomatic engagement shifts to punitive measures. It begs the question: are these 'tech rules' really a threat to fair
competition, or merely an inconvenient challenge to unfettered US corporate dominance?