EU Digital Strategy Must Curb Platform Power, Says Privacy Chief

A core element of Europe’s strategy for governing the digital realm is regulating the otherwise unchecked private power of online platforms, stated Italian Data Protection Authority (Garante) President Pasquale Stanzione. Presenting the Authority’s Annual Report, Stanzione emphasized that the new regulation on political targeting assigns watchdogs “a crucial role in preventing profiling and content selection from distorting democratic processes.” “Otherwise,” he warned, “we risk delegating the definition of freedoms and the exercise of democracy to the platforms, effectively reshaping a vertical power structure.” Stanzione further highlighted “intolerable dangers” arising from AI, particularly for minors. As digital natives, he noted, children develop a “near-osmotic relationship with new technologies,” offering benefits but also significant risks. He stressed that “maximum rigor is essential” regarding age verification obligations and, critically, demanded a “common alliance between institutions and educational communities to promote minors’ digital awareness.”