EU plans industrial data push, rules to rein in U.S. tech giants
 

[February 19, 2020]  BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Commission unveiled proposals on Wednesday to exploit Europe's vast trove of industrial data and set rules to govern artificial intelligence and to rein in U.S. tech giants such as Facebook , Google and Amazon.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen speaks during the presentation of the European Commission's data/digital strategy in Brussels, Belgium February 19, 2020. REUTERS/Yves Herman

The package, the first of a raft of plans, will shape Europe's digital future, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a statement.

"It covers everything from cybersecurity to critical infrastructures, digital education to skills, democracy to media. I want that digital Europe reflects the best of Europe – open, fair, diverse, democratic, and confident," she said.

The goal is to create a single European data market and ensure that the use of artificial intelligence technology will take into account privacy and ethical concerns. The plans also call for data centers to be climate neutral by 2030.

(Reporting by Foo Yun Chee; editing by Philip Blenkinsop)

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