When retaliating against Trump, I hope the EU targets digital services.

[spmrider@berlin.social]

@randahl They made a pilot, but neither could someone make an Excel sheet on the effects, nor could someone present the results with Powerpoint. So nobody knows what they found.

[reggiehere@mastodon.social]

@randahl

Europe should look to our niece (the USA) for the solution and treat American digital services in the same way that America treated TikTok.

[n1xnx@tilde.zone]

@randahl
Also, I recommend Cory Doctorow's suggestion to revoke anti-circumvention laws and encourage reverse engineering of digital products. Hits the tech titans in the monopoly, where it will hurt most, and offers economic benefits.

[lemgandi@mastodon.social]

@randahl

REPEAL ANTI-CIRCUMVENTION LAWS

". . . if someone threatens to burn your house down unless you follow orders, and then they burn it down anyway, you really don't have to keep following their orders."

( Cory Doctorow )

[sidereal@kolektiva.social]

@ReggieHere @randahl what happened with tiktok in the USA was that Trump started to criticize it, then Biden started legislation against it because he did whatever Trump wanted. Trump used this as an example of how Biden was out of touch and aping him, and then by the time the legislation passed, Trump was in power again and used “bringing back Tiktok” as some propaganda victory. I don’t know why you would want to emulate anything about this but go for it.

[reggiehere@mastodon.social]

@sidereal @randahl

The ban on TikTok is still ongoing and due to be completed by Jan 23rd 2026.

TikTok is still operational in the United States because it is due to be divested from ByteDance into U.S. control under the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act (2024).

Since all US social media companies are tools for foreign influence and propaganda, the exact same security concerns apply in Europe.

https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/application-of-protecting-americans-from-foreign-adversary-controlled-applications-act-to-tiktok/

[karppinen@mastodon.online]

@randahl @masek absolutely, but right now we're just totally fucked in terms of reliance on AWS and Azure, essentially nothing in Europe will work if cloud access is disrupted. So digital services has an escalation ladder that is especially dangerous to Europe. I hope that changes soon, but it won't change soon enough

[raymaccarthy@mastodon.ie]

@randahl
Also ESPECIALLY Franchises and physical services such as fastfood, coffee, delivery, rentals, ride hail, Hilton etc. These are parasites. They underpay, use fake royalties and other schemes to export profits without or little tax. They often require a local to rent the premises and put up capital.

Actually BAN the stupid parasites.

[reggiehere@mastodon.social]

@sidereal @randahl

For context, Facebook and Cambridge Analytica have already been accused of micro-targeting UK Facebook users ahead of the 2016 Brexit referendum, and more recently Xitter has been accused of amplifying far-right posts in Europe.

Little Tommeh fascist-Christian is just one of the far-right figures who are getting very agitated about the possibility of a crackdown on US social media.

https://www.aljazeera.com/video/pinch-point/2025/12/17/aje-onl-pp-the-great-replacement-v2-161225

[josir@bolha.us]

@randahl The only retaliation that would hurt is to tax profit and dividends transfered abroad. Tax on revenue or imports are forwarded to consumers that need the services.

[graydon@canada.masto.host]

@randahl Before you think about that, think about DNS.

[oliver59@mastodon.social]

@randahl Hit those Zuckerbergs... i love it!

[martijn@scholar.social]

@cstross But why is it important that we get instant gratification? Wasn't it "revenge is a dish best served cold"? @om @randahl

[reggiehere@mastodon.social]

@Ilka4You @randahl

Permanent and irreplaceable dependency is a rentseeker's wet dream.

[inchulk@mastodon.green]

@randahl Absolutely! Target the income and the monopolies of the American oligarchs (FB, Amazon, Google, Microsoft, Apple etc).

If they stop handing billions of $ to the corrupt trump regime, then there is a chance the regime will fall, and democracy may return.

[crcollins@writing.exchange]

@carsten @randahl

Don't forget Starbucks. Last time I was in UK, and Spain, those were all over the place.

[darrrllang@mastodon.social]

@randahl

[cstross@wandering.shop]

@martijn @om @randahl Because Trump doesn't have the memory retention to recognize revenge if it takes more than a single news cycle to materialize! Which means he won't be deterred, so he'll escalate.

[martijn@scholar.social]

@cstross yeah, ok. fair point. @om @randahl

[iinac@climatejustice.social]

@randahl

If Trump is seriously threatened by EU sanctions, especially those sanction effect the tech sector, he has the option of switching Europe off.

He can switch off at will any European or EU government or agency selectively. He can shut down any company or group of companies.

Literally, those organisations would switch on their computers and nothing would work. Or he could just shut down access to data. Or flight bookings. Or whatever he and the technokings decide.

https://www.lemonde.fr/en/international/article/2025/11/19/nicolas-guillou-french-icc-judge-sanctioned-by-the-us-you-are-effectively-blacklisted-by-much-of-the-world-s-banking-system_6747628_4.html