美国国家公共电台 NPR--Why Margrethe Vestager is Silicon Valley's foremost antagonist

Why Margrethe Vestager is Silicon¹ Valley's foremost antagonist²

Transcript³

As the European Union's top tech regulator, Vestager has overseen⁴ the passage of sweeping⁵ privacy and competition regulations. She has spearheaded more than half a dozen legal cases against Big Tech.

A MART?NEZ, HOST:

She's been called the most powerful regulator in Europe. Margrethe Vestager is Silicon Valley's biggest antagonist. And she has her hands full these days, investigating everything from Twitter and Elon Musk⁶ to the Metaverse. NPR's Bobby Allyn sat down with her in her office in Copenhagen.

BOBBY ALLYN, BYLINE⁷: The tax lady who really hates the U.S. That's how former President Trump⁸ once described Margrethe Vestager. She says she agrees with the first part of that statement.

MARGRETHE VESTAGER: Well, actually, I kind of like the tax lady because, you know, tax fairness is something I really, really, really take to heart.

ALLYN: Fairness is a word Vestager throws around quite a bit when you talk to her about her job as an executive vice⁹ president of the European Commission. A major part of her role is making sure no one tech company gets too powerful in Europe. And she's done quite a lot. Eight pending¹⁰ legal actions against Silicon Valley giants, multibillion-dollar fines against those companies, like Apple and Google, spearheading two tech laws that experts say could rewrite the rules of the internet - those are the big ways she's fighting the tech industry. She notes some small ways, too. She tells her family, if I see an Amazon box around the house, I'm not taking it to the recycling bin¹¹.

VESTAGER: I will take out the cardboard, but not with that logo on it.

ALLYN: The daughter of two Lutheran pastors¹² on the Danish coast, Vestager doesn't seem like a politician when you meet her. She greeted me in her office wearing running shoes. She offered me a big smile and a warm cup of coffee. When it comes to the tech sector¹³, she harkens back to her roots and talks in biblical terms.

VESTAGER: Technology may be new, but the behavior is as old as Adam and Eve, because what we see here is still a question of power or greed.

ALLYN: And reigning¹⁴ in power and greed is the aim of the two pieces of landmark¹⁵ tech regulation she helped shape, the Digital Services Act and the Digital Markets Act. The laws threaten even more huge fines against large tech companies for things like not removing hate speech and squashing competition. Too often, she says, Meta, Google, Apple, Amazon have abused their power to get ahead. She's often asking tech executives this question.

VESTAGER: Why do you find that it is necessary to take a shortcut¹⁶, bend the corners, for us to get the suspicion that you're doing something illegal?

ALLYN: Apple, for one, says it works to comply with EU laws. And CEO Tim Cook once called a Vestager fine, quote, "total political crap." Of course, that's not how she sees it. Fines are one thing. But Vestager says the EU's crackdown also packs a reputational punch.

VESTAGER: Because it means a lot as to how you're seen by, of course, the financial market, but also how you're seen by employees, how you're seen by customers.

ALLYN: Even if the U.S. had its own version of Vestager, it would be trickier¹⁷ to regulate what people post on the platforms. For example, the First Amendment¹⁸ protects speech even if it's offensive, whereas hate speech is illegal in most EU countries.

VESTAGER: I think it's fair enough to say that we want to protect minorities from hate speech. In Germany, I think it's illegal to deny the Holocaust¹⁹. I think that's absolutely fair enough. These are democratically legitimate²⁰ decisions.

ALLYN: In the U.S., what's allowed on, say, Twitter is decided²¹ by, well, Twitter. And that's a company that's been on Vestager's mind a lot lately. Since Elon Musk took over the social network, promising²² to make it a greater place for free speech, Vestager has been closely following along. She has a message for Musk as he revamps the rules of the platform.

VESTAGER: If you offer your services in Europe, there is a European rulebook. And you should live by it. Otherwise, we have the penalties. We have the fines. We have all the assessments²³ and all the decisions that will then come to haunt you.

ALLYN: She's called some of the things Musk has proposed fundamentally flawed. But Musk has promised to abide²⁴ by European rules.

Bobby Allyn, NPR News, Copenhagen.

(SOUNDBITE OF COUCH'S "NAH DRAN")

1 silicon   

n.硅(旧名矽)

参考例句：

• This company pioneered the use of silicon chip.这家公司开创了使用硅片的方法。
• A chip is a piece of silicon about the size of a postage stamp.芯片就是一枚邮票大小的硅片。

2 antagonist   

n.敌人，对抗者，对手

参考例句：

• His antagonist in the debate was quicker than he.在辩论中他的对手比他反应快。
• The thing is to know the nature of your antagonist.要紧的是要了解你的对手的特性。

3 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

4 overseen   

v.监督，监视( oversee的过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He was overseen stealing the letters. 他被人撞见在偷信件。 来自辞典例句
• It will be overseen by ThomasLi, director of IBM China Research Laboratory. 该实验室由IBM中国研究院院长李实恭(ThomasLi)引导。 来自互联网

5 sweeping   

adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的

参考例句：

• The citizens voted for sweeping reforms.公民投票支持全面的改革。
• Can you hear the wind sweeping through the branches?你能听到风掠过树枝的声音吗？

6 musk   

n.麝香, 能发出麝香的各种各样的植物，香猫

参考例句：

• Musk is used for perfume and stimulant.麝香可以用作香料和兴奋剂。
• She scented her clothes with musk.她用麝香使衣服充满了香味。

7 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

8 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

9 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

10 pending   

prep.直到，等待…期间；adj.待定的；迫近的

参考例句：

• The lawsuit is still pending in the state court.这案子仍在州法庭等待定夺。
• He knew my examination was pending.他知道我就要考试了。

11 bin   

n.箱柜；vt.放入箱内；[计算机] DOS文件名:二进制目标文件

参考例句：

• He emptied several bags of rice into a bin.他把几袋米倒进大箱里。
• He threw the empty bottles in the bin.他把空瓶子扔进垃圾箱。

12 pastors   

n.（基督教的）牧师( pastor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Do we show respect to our pastors, missionaries, Sunday school teachers? 我们有没有尊敬牧师、宣教士，以及主日学的老师？ 来自互联网
• Should pastors or elders be paid, or serve as a volunteer? 牧师或长老需要付给酬劳，还是志愿的事奉呢？ 来自互联网

13 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。

14 reigning   

adj.统治的，起支配作用的

参考例句：

• The sky was dark, stars were twinkling high above, night was reigning, and everything was sunk in silken silence. 天很黑，星很繁，夜阑人静。
• Led by Huang Chao, they brought down the reigning house after 300 years' rule. 在黄巢的带领下，他们推翻了统治了三百年的王朝。

15 landmark   

n.陆标，划时代的事，地界标

参考例句：

• The Russian Revolution represents a landmark in world history.俄国革命是世界历史上的一个里程碑。
• The tower was once a landmark for ships.这座塔曾是船只的陆标。

16 shortcut   

n.近路，捷径

参考例句：

• He was always looking for a shortcut to fame and fortune.他总是在找成名发财的捷径。
• If you take the shortcut,it will be two li closer.走抄道去要近2里路。

17 trickier   

adj.狡猾的( tricky的比较级 )；（形势、工作等）复杂的；机警的；微妙的

参考例句：

• This is the general rule, but some cases are trickier than others. 以上是一般规则，但某些案例会比别的案例更为棘手。 来自互联网
• The lower the numbers go, the trickier the problems get. 武器的数量越低，问题就越复杂。 来自互联网

18 amendment   

n.改正，修正，改善，修正案

参考例句：

• The amendment was rejected by 207 voters to 143.这项修正案以207票对143票被否决。
• The Opposition has tabled an amendment to the bill.反对党已经就该议案提交了一项修正条款。

19 holocaust   

n.大破坏；大屠杀

参考例句：

• The Auschwitz concentration camp always remind the world of the holocaust.奥辛威茨集中营总是让世人想起大屠杀。
• Ahmadinejad is denying the holocaust because he's as brutal as Hitler was.内贾德否认大屠杀，因为他像希特勒一样残忍。

20 legitimate   

adj.合法的，合理的，合乎逻辑的；v.使合法

参考例句：

• Sickness is a legitimate reason for asking for leave.生病是请假的一个正当的理由。
• That's a perfectly legitimate fear.怀有这种恐惧完全在情理之中。

21 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

22 promising   

adj.有希望的，有前途的

参考例句：

• The results of the experiments are very promising.实验的结果充满了希望。
• We're trying to bring along one or two promising young swimmers.我们正设法培养出一两名有前途的年轻游泳选手。

23 assessments   

n.评估( assessment的名词复数 )；评价；（应偿付金额的）估定；（为征税对财产所作的）估价

参考例句：

• He was shrewd in his personal assessments. 他总能对人作出精明的评价。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Surveys show about two-thirds use such assessments, while half employ personality tests. 调查表明，约有三分之二的公司采用了这种测评；而一半的公司则采用工作人员个人品质测试。 来自百科语句

24 abide   

vi.遵守；坚持；vt.忍受

参考例句：

• You must abide by the results of your mistakes.你必须承担你的错误所造成的后果。
• If you join the club,you have to abide by its rules.如果你参加俱乐部，你就得遵守它的规章。