Vera Franz
@vera-franz.bsky.social
tech, social justice, inclusive markets | philanthropic advisor + honorary senior research fellow UCL Laws | ex OSF global tech & society director
Reposted by Vera Franz
The multibillion fine against Google proves that the EU can act. Google’s ad monopoly bleeds media dry. This ruling is only the first crack in Google’s monopoly in the ad tech market — but it sends a signal far beyond Europe.
Next step: structural remedies!
www.politico.eu/article/eu-s...
Next step: structural remedies!
www.politico.eu/article/eu-s...
EU slaps Google with €2.95B fine despite Trump trade threat
Brussels hammers U.S. search giant after internal Commission feud.
www.politico.eu
September 5, 2025 at 5:06 PM
The multibillion fine against Google proves that the EU can act. Google’s ad monopoly bleeds media dry. This ruling is only the first crack in Google’s monopoly in the ad tech market — but it sends a signal far beyond Europe.
Next step: structural remedies!
www.politico.eu/article/eu-s...
Next step: structural remedies!
www.politico.eu/article/eu-s...
Reposted by Vera Franz
"A study examining 2.6m Bluesky posts referencing more than 500k scholarly articles over the past 2.5 years found they demonstrated 'substantially higher levels of interaction' – likes, reposts, replies and quotes – and greater 'textual originality' than previously reported for X, formerly Twitter."
NEW: Bluesky is becoming place to discuss scientific research - it gets more proper engagement & attention, new study finds.
For all the talk of decline - borne out by several metrics - the science community seems to have adopted Bluesky more than others.
Story: www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
For all the talk of decline - borne out by several metrics - the science community seems to have adopted Bluesky more than others.
Story: www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
Science research gets more engagement on Bluesky than X, study finds
Bluesky posts referencing scholarly articles ‘find substantially higher levels of interaction’ than on Elon Musk’s platform
www.theguardian.com
September 3, 2025 at 7:13 PM
"A study examining 2.6m Bluesky posts referencing more than 500k scholarly articles over the past 2.5 years found they demonstrated 'substantially higher levels of interaction' – likes, reposts, replies and quotes – and greater 'textual originality' than previously reported for X, formerly Twitter."
Congrats to @davidthewid.bsky.social and @nathanckim.bsky.social on this must-read report on how #bigcloud is entrenching power off the AI gold rush #AI&MarketPowerFellowship
📣🚨NEW: ☁️ Big Cloud—Google, Microsoft & Amazon—control two thirds of the cloud compute market. They’re getting rich off the AI gold rush.
In new work with @nathanckim.bsky.social, we show how Big Cloud is expanding their empire by scrutinizing their *investments*… 🧵
📄PDF: dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn...
In new work with @nathanckim.bsky.social, we show how Big Cloud is expanding their empire by scrutinizing their *investments*… 🧵
📄PDF: dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn...
August 19, 2025 at 9:29 AM
Congrats to @davidthewid.bsky.social and @nathanckim.bsky.social on this must-read report on how #bigcloud is entrenching power off the AI gold rush #AI&MarketPowerFellowship
Reposted by Vera Franz
I've just updated the 'Cloud overview' page, which ties together what I have written on Europe's cloud woes. The page provides a coherent narrative of what is going on (I think). And if you want to go into more depth, the underlying articles provide a lot more detail: berthub.eu/articles/pos...
Cloud Overview - Bert Hubert
Over the past few years I’ve written a lot about the cloud, and what it means for Europe. Here I want to pull the various articles together into a coherent story. Note, nothing of what follows is in a...
berthub.eu
June 21, 2025 at 2:07 PM
I've just updated the 'Cloud overview' page, which ties together what I have written on Europe's cloud woes. The page provides a coherent narrative of what is going on (I think). And if you want to go into more depth, the underlying articles provide a lot more detail: berthub.eu/articles/pos...
Reposted by Vera Franz
Wondering if Chrome could operate independently from Google if it were to be divested? We've got a comprehensive technical assessment for you:
🚨NEW Report: The Technical Feasibility of Divesting Google Chrome 🚨
Our report shows a Google Chrome divestiture is technically feasible and offers an engineering assessment of what it would take to separate Chrome from Google – and succeed: kgi.georgetown.edu/research-and... #USvGoogle
Our report shows a Google Chrome divestiture is technically feasible and offers an engineering assessment of what it would take to separate Chrome from Google – and succeed: kgi.georgetown.edu/research-and... #USvGoogle
The Technical Feasibility of Divesting Google Chrome – Knight-Georgetown Institute
kgi.georgetown.edu
July 1, 2025 at 1:19 PM
Wondering if Chrome could operate independently from Google if it were to be divested? We've got a comprehensive technical assessment for you:
Reposted by Vera Franz
New poll shows huge majorities of Europeans--74% of Von Der Leyen's own CDU--want a tough stance on Big Tech.
This is no time to roll over. Tech is vital infrastructure, and it can be ours again--with a three-part play:
Break, build, enforce.
w/ @robin.berjon.com: www.politico.eu/article/digi...
This is no time to roll over. Tech is vital infrastructure, and it can be ours again--with a three-part play:
Break, build, enforce.
w/ @robin.berjon.com: www.politico.eu/article/digi...
Digital sovereignty can’t be bargained away
The European Commission has tools, public support and a mandate to act on Big Tech. Trading that away for short-term calm would be a costly mistake.
www.politico.eu
July 3, 2025 at 7:45 AM
New poll shows huge majorities of Europeans--74% of Von Der Leyen's own CDU--want a tough stance on Big Tech.
This is no time to roll over. Tech is vital infrastructure, and it can be ours again--with a three-part play:
Break, build, enforce.
w/ @robin.berjon.com: www.politico.eu/article/digi...
This is no time to roll over. Tech is vital infrastructure, and it can be ours again--with a three-part play:
Break, build, enforce.
w/ @robin.berjon.com: www.politico.eu/article/digi...
Reposted by Vera Franz
3/ Here's the thing: there's a global market for trustworthy privacy-respecting apps.
The secure messaging market alone is worth billions & growing.
If it can move past the anti-encryption myopia, Europe is a natural place to incubate & innovate these exciting industries.
The secure messaging market alone is worth billions & growing.
If it can move past the anti-encryption myopia, Europe is a natural place to incubate & innovate these exciting industries.
April 23, 2025 at 12:23 PM
3/ Here's the thing: there's a global market for trustworthy privacy-respecting apps.
The secure messaging market alone is worth billions & growing.
If it can move past the anti-encryption myopia, Europe is a natural place to incubate & innovate these exciting industries.
The secure messaging market alone is worth billions & growing.
If it can move past the anti-encryption myopia, Europe is a natural place to incubate & innovate these exciting industries.
Reposted by Vera Franz
Google has been found by a US court to hold an illegal monopoly for the second time in a year, this time in adtech.
We're still far from an actual break-up – Google will appeal and Trump could intervene at the 11th hour – but this gives Brussels all the cover it needs to move ahead in Europe.
We're still far from an actual break-up – Google will appeal and Trump could intervene at the 11th hour – but this gives Brussels all the cover it needs to move ahead in Europe.
BREAKING: Google loses the adtech case, has unlawful monopoly over advertising tech.
HUGE deal - it is the source of their monopoly profits - and now puts pressure on the EU to step up and finish the job.
www.theverge.com/news/650665/...
HUGE deal - it is the source of their monopoly profits - and now puts pressure on the EU to step up and finish the job.
www.theverge.com/news/650665/...
Google loses adtech monopoly case
A loss for Google.
www.theverge.com
April 17, 2025 at 4:46 PM
Google has been found by a US court to hold an illegal monopoly for the second time in a year, this time in adtech.
We're still far from an actual break-up – Google will appeal and Trump could intervene at the 11th hour – but this gives Brussels all the cover it needs to move ahead in Europe.
We're still far from an actual break-up – Google will appeal and Trump could intervene at the 11th hour – but this gives Brussels all the cover it needs to move ahead in Europe.
Reposted by Vera Franz
📢 An easy way for activists, academics, and journalists to monitor Big Tech's mergers and acquisitions 🔍
Our new Big Tech M&A Tracker gives an overview of the unchecked expansion of the world’s largest tech companies.
Free and accessible to all. Get started:
Our new Big Tech M&A Tracker gives an overview of the unchecked expansion of the world’s largest tech companies.
Free and accessible to all. Get started:
www.somo.nl
April 15, 2025 at 11:06 AM
📢 An easy way for activists, academics, and journalists to monitor Big Tech's mergers and acquisitions 🔍
Our new Big Tech M&A Tracker gives an overview of the unchecked expansion of the world’s largest tech companies.
Free and accessible to all. Get started:
Our new Big Tech M&A Tracker gives an overview of the unchecked expansion of the world’s largest tech companies.
Free and accessible to all. Get started:
Reposted by Vera Franz
Big: Trump DOJ holding the line (so far) on breaking up Chrome and forced access to the Google search index. Good omen for the upcoming ad tech case.
Bam. Tip of hat to DOJ for not waiting until midnight to post its final proposed remedies for US v Google I. Plus, DOJ posted an exec summary and redline version. Bravo. All as expected including Chrome divestiture and future proofing for AI. Here is what publishers came for: 1/4
March 8, 2025 at 11:56 AM
Big: Trump DOJ holding the line (so far) on breaking up Chrome and forced access to the Google search index. Good omen for the upcoming ad tech case.
Reposted by Vera Franz
There’s no way an AI agent can work "on device”. "That’s almost certainly being sent to a cloud server where it’s being processed and sent back...there’s a profound issue with security and privacy that is haunting this hype around agents" @meredithmeredith.bsky.social techcrunch.com/2025/03/07/s...
Signal President Meredith Whittaker calls out agentic AI as having 'profound' security and privacy issues | TechCrunch
Signal President Meredith Whittaker warned Friday that agentic AI could come with a risk to user privacy. Speaking onstage at the SXSW conference in
techcrunch.com
March 9, 2025 at 9:09 AM
There’s no way an AI agent can work "on device”. "That’s almost certainly being sent to a cloud server where it’s being processed and sent back...there’s a profound issue with security and privacy that is haunting this hype around agents" @meredithmeredith.bsky.social techcrunch.com/2025/03/07/s...
Reposted by Vera Franz
It's infuriatingly stupid: "#google and the German Federal Office for Information #security (#bsi) have concluded a strategic cooperation agreement with the aim of promoting the development of "secure and #SovereignCloud solutions for federal, state and local authorities."
This is how this […]
This is how this […]
Original post on eupolicy.social
eupolicy.social
March 9, 2025 at 9:47 AM
It's infuriatingly stupid: "#google and the German Federal Office for Information #security (#bsi) have concluded a strategic cooperation agreement with the aim of promoting the development of "secure and #SovereignCloud solutions for federal, state and local authorities."
This is how this […]
This is how this […]
Reposted by Vera Franz
My dining nook has never looked better 😂
"Go Big or go home. Move fast and break things. Winner takes all. In a new book, @cbracy.bsky.social argues that this ethos underpins much of what’s wrong with venture capital. "
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Venture Capital Kills ‘More Value Than It Creates,’ Author Says
In a new book, World Eaters, tech activist Catherine Bracy says Silicon Valley needs to focus more on solving real-world problems and less on fast profit.
www.bloomberg.com
February 18, 2025 at 6:01 PM
My dining nook has never looked better 😂
Thanks @abeba.bsky.social for this incredibly insightful piece on the #AIActionSummit incl on what #publicinterestAI is and is not, the fact that the Summit overlooked how AI is increasingly entangled with global market concentration, and concrete steps on how make #publicinterestAI about the public
I was in Paris last week for the #AIActionSummit & was honoured to participate in the “AI in public interest” panel.
👇🏾 my thoughts & reflections on what AI in public interest is/isn’t & some concrete steps/initiatives for `bending the arc of AI towards the public interest' aial.ie/pages/aiparis/
👇🏾 my thoughts & reflections on what AI in public interest is/isn’t & some concrete steps/initiatives for `bending the arc of AI towards the public interest' aial.ie/pages/aiparis/
Bending the arc of AI towards the public interest
By Abeba Birhane, 18/02/2025
Following the first in Bletchley Park in 2023 and the second in Seoul in 2024, the third AI Action Summit took place in February 2025 in Paris. In the context of previous ...
aial.ie
February 26, 2025 at 10:42 AM
Thanks @abeba.bsky.social for this incredibly insightful piece on the #AIActionSummit incl on what #publicinterestAI is and is not, the fact that the Summit overlooked how AI is increasingly entangled with global market concentration, and concrete steps on how make #publicinterestAI about the public
"If Europe’s tech regulations are necessary (if not sufficient) conditions for alternative products and technologies to emerge, Big Tech’s visceral opposition makes more sense. It is a sign that Europe is on the right track. It should plough on rather than be deflected."
www.ft.com/content/86ec...
www.ft.com/content/86ec...
Financial TimesFinancial Times
News, analysis and opinion from the Financial Times on the latest in markets, economics and politics
FT.com
February 24, 2025 at 10:35 AM
"If Europe’s tech regulations are necessary (if not sufficient) conditions for alternative products and technologies to emerge, Big Tech’s visceral opposition makes more sense. It is a sign that Europe is on the right track. It should plough on rather than be deflected."
www.ft.com/content/86ec...
www.ft.com/content/86ec...
Reposted by Vera Franz
Our book of the week reveals how slavery, stolen labor, and ecological destruction in the Caribbean laid the foundations for today’s twin crises of racism and climate collapse.
By @taoleighgoffe.bsky.social on @doubledaybooks.bsky.social
https://buff.ly/4jWERnH
By @taoleighgoffe.bsky.social on @doubledaybooks.bsky.social
https://buff.ly/4jWERnH
February 18, 2025 at 12:00 PM
Our book of the week reveals how slavery, stolen labor, and ecological destruction in the Caribbean laid the foundations for today’s twin crises of racism and climate collapse.
By @taoleighgoffe.bsky.social on @doubledaybooks.bsky.social
https://buff.ly/4jWERnH
By @taoleighgoffe.bsky.social on @doubledaybooks.bsky.social
https://buff.ly/4jWERnH
Reposted by Vera Franz
It’s hard to keep up with all the risk assessments, audits, and other major new info dumps from platforms about their DSA compliance. Here’s a great overview from @davidsullivan.bsky.social of where we stand, what is noteworthy so far, and what should happen next.
Systemic Risk Assessments Hold Clues for EU Platform Enforcement
The future of online content regulation might rest on largely overlooked EU-required digital risk assessments.
www.lawfaremedia.org
February 12, 2025 at 12:43 PM
It’s hard to keep up with all the risk assessments, audits, and other major new info dumps from platforms about their DSA compliance. Here’s a great overview from @davidsullivan.bsky.social of where we stand, what is noteworthy so far, and what should happen next.
Reposted by Vera Franz
Reuters 1, AI pirates 0.
In first intellectual property AI court ruling, judge rules that copying material for input into AI violates copyright. Case differs in some ways from the bigger ones to come, but it seems like it doesn't bode well for the AI industry.
Thomson Reuters' AI copyright win blows a hole in AI industry’s fair use defense
Thomson Reuters' AI copyright win blows a hole in AI industry’s fair use defense
www.avclub.com
February 12, 2025 at 9:35 AM
Reuters 1, AI pirates 0.
Reposted by Vera Franz
Microsoft's own research confirms something that was already pretty obvious: relying on a text generating machine to come up with answers erodes critical thinking, and is a method favoured by those who never liked doing critical thinking in the first place
advait.org/files/lee_20...
advait.org/files/lee_20...
advait.org
February 9, 2025 at 10:15 AM
Microsoft's own research confirms something that was already pretty obvious: relying on a text generating machine to come up with answers erodes critical thinking, and is a method favoured by those who never liked doing critical thinking in the first place
advait.org/files/lee_20...
advait.org/files/lee_20...
Reposted by Vera Franz
Reminder that the ICC is expecting sanctions from Trump which may cut off the Court‘s Microsoft Azure/365 access. Relying on US tech infrastructure is even more of a systemic risk for a big organisation now — even more the NSA access you have to typically assume. www.theguardian.com/law/2025/jan...
ICC braces for swift Trump sanctions over Israeli arrest warrants
Leadership at international criminal court fears new US administration will move quickly to shut it down
www.theguardian.com
January 26, 2025 at 3:43 PM
Reminder that the ICC is expecting sanctions from Trump which may cut off the Court‘s Microsoft Azure/365 access. Relying on US tech infrastructure is even more of a systemic risk for a big organisation now — even more the NSA access you have to typically assume. www.theguardian.com/law/2025/jan...
Reposted by Vera Franz
Tech media is leaps and bounds ahead of the traditional newspapers covering Trump. I highly recommend subscribing to
@404media.co
@techdirt.com.web.brid.gy (follow @mmasnick.bsky.social)
@wired.com
They are putting in the work and not dancing around what's really happening.
@404media.co
@techdirt.com.web.brid.gy (follow @mmasnick.bsky.social)
@wired.com
They are putting in the work and not dancing around what's really happening.
February 4, 2025 at 1:10 AM
Tech media is leaps and bounds ahead of the traditional newspapers covering Trump. I highly recommend subscribing to
@404media.co
@techdirt.com.web.brid.gy (follow @mmasnick.bsky.social)
@wired.com
They are putting in the work and not dancing around what's really happening.
@404media.co
@techdirt.com.web.brid.gy (follow @mmasnick.bsky.social)
@wired.com
They are putting in the work and not dancing around what's really happening.
Reposted by Vera Franz
Fascinating interview with Arm CEO Rene Haas, who acknowledges that regulators “got it right” when they blocked Nvidia’s takeover attempt in 2022. Arm’s market cap has since exploded from $40 billion to $175 billion.
Antitrust enforcement is good for innovation.
on.ft.com/4hNB0aA
Antitrust enforcement is good for innovation.
on.ft.com/4hNB0aA
February 10, 2025 at 8:32 AM
Fascinating interview with Arm CEO Rene Haas, who acknowledges that regulators “got it right” when they blocked Nvidia’s takeover attempt in 2022. Arm’s market cap has since exploded from $40 billion to $175 billion.
Antitrust enforcement is good for innovation.
on.ft.com/4hNB0aA
Antitrust enforcement is good for innovation.
on.ft.com/4hNB0aA
Reposted by Vera Franz
If you're attending the AI Action Summit in Paris, check out Lesan AI's demo at the African AI Village on Tuesday. Asmelash is also a @dairinstitute.bsky.social fellow. Talk to him about how OpenAI + friends have been going around threatening small businesses.
restofworld.org/2023/3-minut...
restofworld.org/2023/3-minut...
The AI startup outperforming Google Translate in Ethiopian languages
"Chatbots like ChatGPT are utterly broken or useless for these languages."
restofworld.org
February 9, 2025 at 11:23 PM
If you're attending the AI Action Summit in Paris, check out Lesan AI's demo at the African AI Village on Tuesday. Asmelash is also a @dairinstitute.bsky.social fellow. Talk to him about how OpenAI + friends have been going around threatening small businesses.
restofworld.org/2023/3-minut...
restofworld.org/2023/3-minut...