"Comprehensive and important... This one is crucial: it is about whether tech controls democracy or democracy controls tech."
FINANCIAL TIMES, Best Books of 2023
The global battle among the three dominant digital powers—the United States, China, and the European Union—is intensifying. All three regimes are racing to regulate tech companies, with each advancing a competing vision for the digital economy while attempting to expand its sphere of influence in the digital world. In Digital Empires, her provocative follow-up to The Brussels Effect, Anu Bradford explores a rivalry that will shape the world in the decades to come.
Across the globe, people dependent on digital technologies have become increasingly alarmed that their rapid adoption and transformation have ushered in an exceedingly concentrated economy where a few powerful companies control vast economic wealth and political power, undermine data privacy, and widen the gap between economic winners and losers. In response, world leaders are variously embracing the idea of reining in the most dominant tech companies. Bradford examines three competing regulatory approaches—the American market-driven model, the Chinese state-driven model, and the European rights-driven regulatory model—and discusses how governments and tech companies navigate the inevitable conflicts that arise when these regulatory approaches collide in the international domain. Which digital empire will prevail in the contest for global influence remains an open question, yet their contrasting strategies are increasingly clear.
Digital societies are at an inflection point. In the midst of these unfolding regulatory battles, governments, tech companies, and digital citizens are making important choices that will shape the future ethos of the digital society. Digital Empires lays bare the choices we face as societies and individuals, explains the forces that shape those choices, and illuminates the immense stakes involved for everyone who uses digital technologies.
ANU BRADFORD
DIGITAL EMPIRES
THE GLOBAL BATTLE
TO REGULATE TECHNOLOGY
Digital Empires in the News
AUTHOR ESSAYS AND OP-EDS:
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"Europe and the US won’t win the AI race by depriving themselves of talent", Financial Times, November 7, 2023
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"After the Fall of the American Digital Empire", Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University, September 21, 2023
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"Europe’s Digital Constitution", Verfassungsblog, September 6, 2023
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"What is at Stake if Antitrust Regulation Fails?”, Network Law Review, September 6, 2023
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"Whose AI Revolution?", Project Syndicate, September 1, 2023
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"Meta vs the EU: who governs the digital economy?", UK in a Changing Europe, August 30, 2023
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"Artificial Intelligence: Why Europe Has an Edge Over America and China", Foreign Affairs, June 27, 2023
BOOK REVIEWS:
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"Digital Empires: The Global Battle to Regulate Technology", Politique Etrangere (France), March 12, 2024
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"Digital empires: the global battle to regulate technology", International Affairs, March 4, 2024
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"Digital regulation in the shadow of digital empires: a quest for cooperation?", Journal of International Economic Law, February 5, 2024
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"Can the Internet Be Governed?", The New Yorker, January 29, 2024
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"The Best Political Economy Books from 2023", ProMarket, December 26, 2023
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"Waarom Europa de toon zet in de strijd tussen grote tech-bedrijven", NRC (Netherlands), December 7, 2023
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"Notable Privacy and Security Books 2023", Teach Privacy , December 6, 2023
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"Best books of 2023 — Economics", Financial Times, November 15, 2023
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"Books in brief", Nature, November 3, 2023
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"Fixing Disinformation Online: What will it take to regulate the abuses of Big Tech without undermining free speech?", The American Prospect, October 2023
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"The Battle for Digital Supremacy: No Clear Victor in Sight", Medium, September 18, 2023
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"AI and the next great tech shift", Financial Times, September 14, 2023
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"The impact of competing tech regulations in the EU, US and China", European Journalism Observatory, September 12, 2023
INTERVIEWS:
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"Europe Is Breaking Open the Empires of Big Tech", Wired, March 6, 2024
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"Anu Bradford i Interviewserien: Vesten skal bevise, at vi kan holde Big Tech ansvarlige. Det er en direkte udfordring af demokratiet", RAESON (Denmark), February 21, 2024
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アメリカ･中国･EU ｢デジタル覇権主義｣の行方", Toyo Keizai (Japan), December 29, 2023
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"Europe indicates a third way for artificial intelligence", GDB (Italy), December 16, 2023
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"In the war of digital empires, a conversation with Anu Bradford", The Grand Continent (France), December 12, 2023
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"ＡＩ規制はどうなる？欧", 47 News (Japan), December 12, 2023
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"Putting the brakes on the autocracy of tech giants", Ta Nea (Greece), December 02, 2023
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"'Musk doesn't think in the morning about what could be done for democracy', says Anu Bradford", Kauppalehti (Finland), November 23, 2023
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"In the Premier League", Helsingin Sanomat (Finland), November 20, 2023
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"Digitalizacion", Agenda Publica (Spain), November 13, 2023
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They are trying to curb Google's power in court - but maybe too late", YLE (Finland), October 18, 2023
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"‘Digital Empires’: The China-EU-US Competition Over Tech Regulations", The Diplomat, October 12, 2023
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"Digital empires: The global race to regulate Artificial Intelligence", Listen - ABC Australia, September 8, 2023
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"De volgende strijd is er een tegen autoritaire tech", fd (Netherlands), September 7, 2023
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"Changes in Big Tech business models are needed", Law.com, August 21, 2023
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"Europe can set the course for AI.", La Vanguardia (Spain), July 26, 2023
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Se debe tener una conversación real sobre si los verdaderos imperios digitales son las empresas tecnológicas", El Mercurio (Chile), July 23, 2023
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"Anu Bradford Says More…", Project Syndicate, June 27, 2023
VIDEOS AND TELEVISION:
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"Book Talk: "Digital Empires: The Global Battle to Regulate Technology" with Author Anu Bradford", Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), February 12, 2024
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"Author Talks: Anu Bradford discusses the race to become the next technology superpower", McKinsey & Company, November 6, 2023
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"Digital empires: The global battle to regulate technology", BNN Bloomberg, October 27, 2023
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"Columbia's Bradford on Huawei, Tech War", Bloomberg TV Asia, September 7, 2023
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"Regulation Scholar: At Least, China and the US are Talking", Bloomberg TV, June 20, 2023
PODCASTS:
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"The Really Big One: Controlling AI", Listen - ABC (Australia), March 15, 2024
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"EU lands world's first-ever AI regulations", The World, December 11, 2023
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"Digital empires: The global battle to regulate technology", European Council on Foreign Relations, December 8, 2023
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"Digital Empires", Democracy's Future, November 6, 2023
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"The race to regulate AI before it’s too late", Politico, November 3, 2023
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"The Future of Digital Standards Setting", AIG (UK), October 26, 2023
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"Digital Empires: The Global Battle To Regulate Technology", Encompass-Europe, October 24, 2023
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"Digital Empires: A Conversation with Anu Bradford", Tech Policy Press, October 8, 2023
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"Digital Empires with Anu Bradford", Bookstand, by Nokia, October 5, 2023
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"Navigating ‘digital empires’: how to pursue innovation through tech regulation", National Security Podcast, October 5, 2023
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"Technology Under a Global Microscope", Bloomberg Businessweek, September 26, 2023
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"The Global Battle to Regulate Technology", The Lawfare Podcast, September 12, 2023
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"The EU is leading the Charge on AI Regulation", The Big Take - Bloomberg, July 31, 2023
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"How much should we fear artificial intelligence?", The Rachman Review - Financial Times, July 6, 2023
ADDITIONAL NEWS AND MEDIA:
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"A new EU law aims to tame tech giants. But enforcing it could turn out to be tricky.", Marketplace, March 7, 2024
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"The EU’s uphill battle against Big Tech power", Politico, March 6, 2024
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"Will Big Tech agree to play by Europe’s rules?", Financial Times, March 5, 2024
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"Spotify plans to launch in-app purchases, if Apple gets out of the way", The Verge, January 24, 2024
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"The EU's major powers are longing for techno-protectionism", YLE (Finland), December 19, 2023
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"Europe Puts Stake in the Ground With First Pact to Regulate AI", Bloomberg, December 9, 2023
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"Europe reaches a deal on the world’s first comprehensive AI rules", AP, December 8, 2023
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"EU agrees ‘historic’ deal with world’s first laws to regulate AI", The Guardian (UK), December 8, 2023
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"Europe reaches a deal on the world’s first comprehensive AI rules", The Globe and Mail (UK), December 8, 2023
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"ＡＩ蝿制脚本は「欄極的", Yomiuri (Japan), December 5, 2023
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"Why AI and data might not belong in trade deals", Financial Times, November 6, 2023
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"Elon Musk, world leaders wrangle over AI rules", Financial Review (Australia), November 1, 2023
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"Three things to know about the White House’s executive order on AI", MIT Technology Review, October 30, 2023
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"Whose artificial intelligence will conquer the world?", Helsingin Sanomat (Finland), October 10, 2023
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"Google’s antitrust showdown with US could ‘dramatically change’ competition", Al Jazeera, September 27, 2023
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"A batalha dos impérios digitais", O Globo (Brazil), Septmeber 26, 2023
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"Why the EU will not remain the world’s digital über-regulator", The Economist, September 21, 2023
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The Man Keeping Musk, Zuckerberg and Big Tech in Line in Europe", Bloomberg, September 12, 2023
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"Meta May Allow Instagram and Facebook Users in Europe to Pay to Avoid Ads", New York Times, September 1, 2023
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"What the E.U.’s sweeping rules for Big Tech mean for your life online", Washington Post, August 31, 2023
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"Regulation necessary to protect against risks." Wall Street Italia, August 11, 2023
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"The global order of digital economies is only just holding together." Financial Times, July 19, 2023
Reviews, Quotes, and Endorsements
"Anu Bradford provides a holistic and balanced view of the three competing regulatory systems at the intersection of technology and society. Digital Empires is a must read for anyone seeking to understand what's at stake in developing a practical regulatory framework that serves the needs of people everywhere."
BRAD SMITH,
Vice Chair and President of Microsoft
Public Events
About the Author
Anu Bradford is the Henry L. Moses Professor of Law and International Organization at Columbia Law School. She is also a director for the European Legal Studies Center and Chazen Senior Scholar at Columbia Business School. Her research and teaching focus on European Union law, international trade law, and comparative and international antitrust law. Before joining the Law School faculty in 2012, she was an assistant professor at the University of Chicago Law School.
Bradford earned her S.J.D. degree in 2007 and LL.M. degree in 2002 from Harvard Law School, and also holds a law degree from the University of Helsinki. After completing her LL.M. studies as a Fulbright Scholar at Harvard Law School, Bradford practiced antitrust law and EU law at Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton in Brussels before returning to Harvard for her doctoral studies. She has also served as an adviser on economic policy in the Parliament of Finland and as an expert assistant to a member of the European Parliament.
Bradford is the author of “The Brussels Effect: How the European Union Rules the World” (OUP 2020), which was named one of the Best Books of 2020 by Foreign Affairs. Her most recent book “Digital Empires: The Global Battle to Regulate Technology” was published by the OUP in September 2023.
Bradford grew up in Finland, and lives today in New York with her husband and three children.