Together with more than 75 organizations, we are calling on the negotiators of the German parties CDU/CSU and SPD to take concrete steps towards the control of digital platforms and digitalisation for the public interest. This includes the consistent enforcement of existing EU law, the closing of regulatory loopholes and the targeted strengthening of public interest-oriented platform alternatives. These points must be on the agenda in the coalition negotiations.
In a letter published today, more than 75 organisations and alliances with over 1,000 member organisations call on the CDU/CSU and SPD negotiators to include the control of online platforms and digitalization for the common good in the agenda of the exploratory talks. The latest developments following the US election underline the dangers to democracies posed by large online platforms. The signatories of the letter call for the consistent enforcement of existing rules for digital platforms, the closing of regulatory loopholes and the targeted strengthening of platform alternatives oriented towards the public interest.
“Digital platforms should no longer be programmed in such a way that they massively influence discourse and divide societies. They are currently strengthening anti-democratic forces. They contribute to the exclusion of minorities. These tendencies also make it more difficult to solve major challenges for societies – such as the climate crisis,” says Christoph Bals, Political Director of Germanwatch.
From the perspective of the signing organisations, this is not an unfortunate coincidence, but is directly related to the platforms’ business model. “The large online platforms only appear to be free of charge. They are financed by the disclosure of personal data, which is used for increasingly individualised advertising. The platforms’ algorithms are non-transparent and often tend to be biased. As a result, they also jeopardise independent quality journalism and thus the free formation of opinion and will. A new start is needed, the monopoly providers have failed,” explains Frank Werneke, ver.di Chairman.
The concentration of power and data in the hands of a few tech companies from the US and China is a risk to the digital sovereignty of both Europe and the countries of the Global South. “These monopolies threaten the common good of society and democratic discourse worldwide. Without effective regulation of the platform economy, there can be no fair digitalization,” emphasises Sven Hilbig, digital expert at Brot für die Welt.
The alliance of representatives from civil society, churches, trade unions, consumer protection and the digital economy is therefore calling on the CDU/CSU and SPD to effectively regulate platforms and promote public interest-oriented alternatives. “Limiting market concentration and curbing the economic and political power of tech platforms is a key democratic and economic challenge for the coming years. The German government and the EU must show a clear edge here and effectively enforce the European rules against tech monopoly power,” demands Ulrich Müller, CEO of Rebalance Now.
The signatories call on the German government to take clear steps in this direction and highlight three areas of action. Firstly, existing digital regulations and competition law must be applied consistently. Secondly, regulatory loopholes must be closed. “Consumers must be protected online from manipulative practices such as tracking, profiling and addictive designs. Enforcing existing EU regulations such as the Digital Services Act or the Digital Markets Act is important for this, but it is not enough. Many fundamental problems of digital business models remain unresolved and urgently need to be solved in the Digital Fairness Act. A new German government must work at European level to ensure that democracy and fairness are preserved in the digital world,” says Michaela Schröder, Head of Consumer Policy at the Federation of German Consumer Organisations (vzbv).
Thirdly, the German government must work to establish and strengthen democratically controlled, public-interest-oriented and sovereign digital infrastructures – this can also open up economic opportunities for European digital companies. “We can still turn away from the path to digital platform oligarchy. Projects such as Wikipedia, Open Street Map and Fediverse show that the internet can work differently. In the interests of social cohesion and democratic culture, the German government should actively promote these and other alternatives that are oriented towards the common good,” says Franziska Heine, Managing Director of Wikimedia Deutschland.
“Digital media and platforms enable open, equal communication between people who cannot meet directly. Appreciation and recognition are central to this. Freedom worthy of the name is not arbitrary, even online. It needs rules that are based on human dignity and human rights. The consistent enforcement of existing EU law, the closing of regulatory loopholes and the targeted strengthening of platform alternatives oriented towards the common good are important steps in this direction,” concludes Dr. Jan-Dirk Döhling from the Institute for Church and Society of the Evangelical Church of Westphalia.
