The European Parliamant has just adopted the CopyRight Directive, despite delaying it last summer. Having successfully passed this Directive, the cultural industry and press publishers feed on the crumbs left by mass surveillance businesses. Rather than preventing such a capitulation to the GAFAM, French Government has vigourously promoted it.
For 20 years, the French cultural industry has never been able to adapt to the Internet. Today, it is crazy about the success of Netflix or Amazon. Now, it is claiming for the crumbs of the cake. This industry is trying to make the giants of the Web, such as Youtube and Facebook, share the revenues of targeted advertising displayed with their contents.
Targeted advertising depends on the monitoring of everyone, everywhere, anytime, without our freely given consent. Since 25 May and the GDPR, this clearly breaches the law.
However, having failed to evolve, the cultural industry is now ready to rely on such unlawful practices. Following today’s vote, the financing of culture will be submitted to the mass surveillance business. By supporting the Directive, the French Government gave its blessing to the unlawful powers of Internet giants, rather than fighting them and protecting us.
Unfortunately, this is not the only issue. Press publishers who, for the most part, never succeeded to adapt to the Internet, want to be paid for each one of their articles quoted on Facebook and Google. What is going to happen if press publishers’ revenues depend on Facebook and Google own revenues? How much longer will we be able to read critical positions against such giants in these newspapers? Rather than adapting themselves, press publishers chose to give up their independence entirely. Meanwhile, most of them implement practices as intrusive as those used by the GAFAM regarding targeted advertising.
Here again, the French Government has encouraged this general capitulation to Net Giants, strengthening them in their position of masters of the Internet. Yet, they are masters of none. The Internet doesn’t need Google or Facebook to allow us to communicate. Furthermore, these giants disturb our communications in order to impose their advertisements.
Today’s vote is symptomatic of the emergency to get a new framework of reflexion. It is a priority for the government to accept that the Internet is not just about a few monopolistic companies. It is time for the government to give up digital global companies and to begin to promote the development of a decentralized Internet, the only one able to respect our liberties.