Team Europe: Internet Police

Sometimes if you want to win, you need to change how the game is played. At least that’s the case with the European Union’s new General Data Protection Regulation, which takes effect May 25 and imposes tough new rules on companies that traffic in the personal data of EU citizens. Firms that fail to protect users’ information will face steep fines of up to 4 percent of their global sales.

Why so strict? Put yourself in the EU’s shoes. You know you risk falling behind the US and China in the race to develop artificial intelligence and other next-generation technologies that rely on processing massive amounts of data — some of it very sensitive. The danger is not just that you will miss out on the economic gains that will come from harnessing the next phase of the digital revolution (although that is important). It’s that a world dominated by foreign technology might not reflect your values.

But catching up will be hard; the digital revolution is being driven by the private sector. Huge US and Chinese internet companies like Google, Facebook, Baidu and Alibaba have serious advantages in attracting talent and resources, including raw data, that European rivals will struggle to match. So, what do you do? If you’re Europe, you worry less about winning the race and focus on shaping the rules instead.

There’s a catch, though. Put too many expensive hurdles in their way, and innovative companies may decide that offering services in Europe is no longer worth the hassle. That could leave the EU even further behind in the technology race.

More from GZERO Media

- YouTube

A military confrontation between India and Pakistan in May nearly pushed the two nuclear-armed countries to the brink of war. On Ian Explains, Ian Bremmer breaks down the complicated history of the India-Pakistan conflict, one of the most contentious and bitter rivalries in the world.

A combination picture shows Russian President Vladimir Putin during a meeting with Arkhangelsk Region Governor Alexander Tsybulsky in Severodvinsk, Arkhangelsk region, Russia July 24, 2025.
REUTERS/Leah Millis

In negotiations, the most desperate party rarely gets the best terms. As Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin meet in Alaska today to discuss ending the Ukraine War, their diverging timelines may shape what deals emerge – if any.

The Caryn influencer artificial intelligence AI page is seen in this illustration photo taken in Warsaw, Poland on 05 December, 2023.
(Photo by Jaap Arriens/NurPhoto)

Since its inception, generative AI such as ChatGPT has run primarily in the cloud: large data centers run by large companies. In that home, AI is reliant on electricity-hungry computers, robust internet connections, and centralized data.