From the EU to Orwell: The Battle for Technology Dominance

When tech giants attended Donald Trump‘s inauguration as the 47th U.S. president, it wasn’t merely a ceremonial appearance—it signaled technology’s emergence as the new battleground for global power.

Throughout history, power has shifted its arena: from military might to airspace control, from maritime dominance to nuclear capabilities. Today, technology stands at the forefront of political strategy, with outer space looming as the next frontier. As Carl Von Clausewitz famously wrote: «War is the continuation of politics by other means.» While we’re not witnessing open warfare, we’re seeing an intense global competition for technological supremacy. The question is: what drives this new political battlefield?

Regulatory Control: The New Arms Race

The 2016 Cambridge Analytica scandal and Russian election interference marked a turning point in platform regulation. Russia’s orchestrated campaign of email leaks, propaganda, and social media manipulation exposed the vulnerabilities in America’s democratic process. While platforms scrambled to implement protective measures against foreign influence, they operated in a regulatory vacuum. A perception grew that social networks showed bias toward right-wing movements, including Trump and the alt-right.

The COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent U.S. elections brought matters to a head. President Joe Biden‘s 2021 declaration that «social media misinformation was killing people» echoed Josep Borrell‘s 2020 warning that «disinformation can kill.» The situation grew more complex when Zuckerberg revealed that Twitter/X and Facebook had restricted a New York Post article about Biden’s campaign emails—actions taken under FBI pressure citing Russian disinformation concerns.

These platforms became reluctant arbiters of truth, guided by fact-checkers and administrative pressure. Yet these interventions proved largely ineffective in shaping platform behavior.

The European Response

This climate fostered arguments for digital platform regulation. Critics highlighted how the attention economy model favors inflammatory content and how micro-targeting tools exploit personal data. International actors have weaponized these features to undermine Western institutions and values (Torreblanca, 2020).

The European Union’s response came through the Digital Services Act (DSA), implemented in February 2024. However, concerns about potential backlash have led to hesitant enforcement.

The American Counterpoint

The U.S. First Amendment presents a stark contrast, protecting free speech from government intervention. While exceptions exist for inciting violence, defamation, and obscenity, this constitutional barrier largely prevents direct social media regulation.

This framework warns that political pressure could label inconvenient truths as «disinformation.» Content moderators’ biases might suppress legitimate viewpoints, while government influence could silence opposition. The specter of George Orwell’s «1984» looms large—a world where restricted expression leads to thought control.

The Global Chess Game

Today’s technological landscape resembles a complex chess game. On one side stand the regulators: the EU, Brazil, India, democratic parties, and tech-skeptic entrepreneurs. On the other, we find advocates of minimal intervention: right-wing politicians, tech CEOs, free speech organizations, and, paradoxically, nations like Russia, China, and Iran, which exploit platform vulnerabilities for their narratives.

As Orwell observed in his analysis of H. G. Wells’ work:

«The supposed antithesis between the scientist working for a planned World State and the reactionary trying to restore the disordered past»…»On one side science, order, progress, internationalism, aeroplanes, steel, concrete, hygiene; on the other war, nationalism, religion, monarchy, peasants, Greek professors, poets, horses. History, to him, is a series of victories won by the scientific man over the romantic man.»

Yet Orwell adds a crucial caveat:

«Now, he is probably right in assuming that a ‘reasonable’ and planned form of society, with scientists rather than witch-doctors in control, is bound to prevail sooner or later, but that is very different from assuming that it is just round the corner.»

The Future Battlefield

Technology has emerged as the new geopolitical arena. Until someone achieves digital hegemony, this space will remain contested—an ongoing struggle between would-be dominators and those resisting domination. The real question isn’t whether regulation will come, but who will ultimately control our digital future.

Bibliography

Orwell, G. (2024). Notes on Nationalism and Other Writings. Gorla

Torreblanca, J.I.(2020). Democracy and Social Networks in How to Save Democracies. Círculo de Empresarios.