Big Tech in the crosshairs – how to break hyperscalers‘ power

Maria Luisa Stasi , Brianna Rock

18.05.2026 16:45–17:15
Lightning Box 1
Englisch
(Kurz-) Vortrag
Politik & Gesellschaft
#Digitalpolitik #Platforms #Zivilgesellschaft #Demokratie
Regulators can curb cloud monopolies, but fail to effectively use their powers. The Digital Markets Act (DMA) is yet under-enforced in the cloud sector, harmful mergers are cleared, and structural remedies ignored. In this lightning talk, we explain what’s going wrong—and how to fix it.

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Cloud computing and the hyperscalers' system that dominates the sector worldwide are at the crossroad of a number of policy discussions, from security to sovereignty, defence, innovation, economic growth. Many stakeholders agree that the current concentration of power, and related dependencies of different kinds, is a problem. But we’re far from agreeing on solutions, even farther from putting them in practice.

A key aspect is yet underdeveloped: the strong enforcement of competition and pro-competitive regulatory frameworks to address the roots of the problem and create the conditions for alternative models to flourish. We plan to bring the perspective of civil society and explain why a valid toolbox, which includes the Digital Markets Act (DMA), merger and competition rules, has not been used effectively so far, and what could and should be achieved if it is. We aim to raise people’s attention on a challenge that directly or indirectly impacts our daily life, and make practical suggestions for enforcers.

Dieser Programmpunkt wird durch die Stiftung Mercator unterstützt. / This programme session is supported by Stiftung Mercator.