US/EU: Silicon Valley find flaws in EU online proposal

US technology firms are voicing major concerns with a European proposal unveiled Wednesday that they say could discourage the creation of new online business and target US companies.

“Imposing regulator barriers would be a grave mistake for Europe, and would have harmful effects on trans-Atlantic trade and investment,” Dean Garfield, head of the Information Technology Industry Council, told The Wall Street Journal.

The Information Technology Industry Council has noted that leaked documents showed nearly all the businesses that the commission wants to review are major U.S. tech companies — from Amazon and Yahoo to Microsoft and Google.

“Instead of enhancing integration, the commission would in effect be creating a digital fortress around Europe – a move that would have devastating consequences for Europe’s efforts to spur innovation and technology by its own companies,” Dean Garfield, the group’s president, wrote in an op-ed.

Full content: The Wall Street Journal

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