Amsterdam too dependent on American tech companies, professor warns
Amsterdam and other Dutch cities are currently too dependent on large American technology companies. That is according to Claes de Vreese, a professor at the University of Amsterdam (UvA). He conducts research into the influence of companies such as Google and Microsoft on our democracy and warns of the significant risks of this situation.
According to De Vreese, a large part of the city's operations would immediately come to a standstill if these companies' 'cloud' services were to fail. Many important organizations, including the municipality, schools, and businesses, use these American services for their daily tasks. If there is a major technical failure in the United States, it therefore has immediate and significant consequences for Dutch society.
The professor is also concerned about the influence of artificial intelligence (AI) on democracy. Because the technology is in the hands of only a few powerful companies, they largely determine what information we get to see. According to the researcher, this is dangerous because we often do not know exactly how these companies' systems work or what choices they make.
Therefore, De Vreese advises that Amsterdam and the rest of the Netherlands must seriously look for alternatives. According to him, it is important for Europe to develop its own technological solutions. In this way, the Netherlands can remain in control of its own data and be less vulnerable to problems at foreign companies.
The discussion about the power of these 'Big Tech' companies is becoming increasingly important in the Netherlands. The UvA professor's warning is a clear call to politicians to take action. Only by investing in its own technology can the Netherlands continue to function safely and independently in the future.