I agree with you, investing in ethical tech is an important step.

However if you look at what is happening today, with everyone having a google/instagram/etc account, and the power these companies have over the competition (because of unethical tactics) it is not feasible to actually compete with them.

Legislation is needed to make *everyone* in the tech industry that operates in europe at the same (ethical) level.

This may not be directly applicable to the linked article, but I'm mainly thinking of the DMA and DSA which will go into effect in a couple of months.

Not being bound by ethics gives unethical companies an advantage, so curbing unethical behavior is the necessary step to let ethical companies emerge.

In countries where Facebook is banned, there are local alternatives. So maybe regulations are the way to go.

> If Europe wants more ethical tech, they should make an honest effort to create an environment that supports that. I.e., invest in their own tech industry.

Which is difficult if tech has been monopolised by US companies that break the laws, so they're addressing that for a start, as to level the playing field (both with GDPR and other regulations such as the Digital Markets Act).

> On the other hand, this seems like an easy way to avoid addressing Europe's lack of it's own tech industry.

The only reason the US has its tech industry is:

- lax laws for everything: from data protection to labor laws

- unlimited investor money that can sustain unprofitable businesses for decades Most of the top HN darling have never been profitable, and have been losing billions of dollars for years. The rest haven't been profitable for most of their existence

On top of that it helps to have a huge largely homogenous market