Big Tech Under Fire: EU Addictive Design Rules, German Billionaire Pushback, Children's Safety Push

The Economist—A convergence of regulatory and political pressures is closing in on Big Tech simultaneously across multiple fronts. The EU's addictive design ruling against Meta (covered separately) is part of a broader wave: the Economist reported China may struggle to fund Xi Jinping's tech ambitions, while a German billionaire challenged US Big Tech dominance. European tech leaders, in a Semafor survey, said they worry more about US technological supremacy than China's. In Washington, a rare bipartisan consensus around children's online safety threatens to become the industry's "worst nightmare," per the Washington Examiner. Semafor separately reported that a handful of tech firms are reshaping the global economy in ways governments are struggling to address.

• The Economist — China may struggle to fund the tech ambitions underpinning Xi Jinping's industrial strategy
• Deutsche Welle — Germany's richest man is mounting a challenge to US Big Tech's dominance in Europe
• SWI swissinfo — The Hormuz crisis is reshaping global shipping and energy trade routes
• BBC — Technology — Tech Now
• BBC — Technology — Tech Life
• Washington Examiner — Bipartisan US consensus around children's online safety is emerging as Big Tech's biggest political threat
• Semafor — European tech leaders say US dominance worries them more than China
• Semafor — A small group of tech giants is reshaping the global economy in ways governments struggle to manage
• Washington Post — Cartoon: Children as tech support