PARIS: Europe should set global standards for tougher regulation of digital technology, finding a way between an excessively lax United States and an over-restrictive China, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday.

Addressing the bosses of US giants Microsoft and IBM at a Paris technology conference, Macron said the European Union’s new data privacy regulation, known as GDPR, demonstrated Europe’s ability (EU) to lead the way.

“For me, the US model is not sustainable because theres no political accountability,” Macron said, adding that US tech rules had been driven by corporate interests.

Speaking in English, he continued: “On the other side, you have a very strong Chinese model. But this model has not the same values as the ones we have.” The Chinese model was, he said, “over-centralised”.

The young French leader has openly courted investments in artificial intelligence and “deep tech” since his election last year, pitching himself as a champion of the younger plugged-in generation and start-up enterprises.

However, he wants tech companies to do more for the “common good” in society and has led European efforts to force Google, Amazon, Facebook Inc and Apple Inc (GAFAs) to pay more tax at the source of revenue.

Published in Dawn, May 25th, 2018