Megan Warrender, Assistant Editor at Open Access Government, explores Commissioner Margaret Vestager’s current priorities for ensuring digital security, and how Europe can build a sustainable digital future post COVID-19.
Earlier this year, the European Commission set out their strategic objective to “shape” Europe’s digital future and to shape technologies maximising benefits in everyday life, for everyone. However, circumstances in 2020 have drastically altered plans everywhere, and Europe, just like the rest of the world, has been turning its focus onto accounting for the unprecedented COVID-19 crisis.
Therefore, it would not be surprising for the European Commission’s digital policy to have either taken a back seat or have its priorities altered due to the significant increase in digital use during COVID-19. Commissioner Margaret Vestager, Executive Vice-President for A Europe Fit for the Digital Age, stated in July 2020 at the European conference on the Digital Services Act: “I am often asked if all the benefits that digital solutions have brought us during the Corona crisis have changed the Commission’s digital policy. Have we been too critical of tech companies, too risk-averse when it comes to digital technologies?” Her answer to this is a confident no, and she states that these pre-existing objectives are more, in fact, relevant than ever. “The more we use and depend on digital technologies, the more important it is that these technologies are in tune with our values, beliefs and rules.”
Safety in technology is becoming more important each day, as the more it is used in everyday life, the more risks can come into play. This includes risks relating to e-commerce and disinformation, ultimately leading to the erosion of trust in digital technologies. This trust is essential to maximise the potential of technology today, and without trust, sustainable progress is not possible. Commissioner Vestager asks the question: “what does it take to restore trust in our digital world?”
To read the full article, click here.