Dutch media warns of serious threat to democracy from dominance of tech giants

ISTANBUL

Dutch news outlets issued an open letter warning of a serious threat to democracy posed by the growing dominance of global tech companies, broadcaster NOS, one of the contributors, reported on Thursday.

“Our society is losing its grip on fact-based and pluralistic information provision due to the dominant role of global tech companies. This poses a serious threat to democratic resilience, as well as to strategic autonomy and, therefore, the security of the Netherlands,” said the open letter sent to coalition negotiator Sybrand Buma.

Various public and commercial broadcasters, along with newspapers, online media, and the ANP news agency noted that provision of news and information to citizens is increasingly in the hands of tech giants with “commercial objectives” where democratic values are not part of the equation.

“AI-generated answers are often unreliable, frequently one-sided, and difficult to verify. The systems are susceptible to manipulation and often produce inaccurate or fabricated information that cannot be contested,” the letter said.

The news outlets emphasized that AI companies avoid taking responsibility for the outcomes of their production, negatively affecting the quality, reliability, and diversity of information reaching the public.

“This is no longer a normal competition between an old and a new sector. The question now is: which digital infrastructure for public information will ultimately prevail?” the letter stressed.

It asked whether the future of information will be shaped by the algorithms of American and Chinese tech giants or by a Dutch digital ecosystem where AI can develop alongside reliable media.

They called on the government to make the security of information provision an urgent topic in the upcoming coalition formation discussions, and urged the implementation of European legislation, such as the European AI Act to protect the media sector from global tech giants.

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