editorial

The tide is turning for the gifted in Silicon Valley. Every day more worried about their growing power, America itself has decided to attack the most symbolic of them, Facebook. Exceptional entrepreneur, celebrated for his vista and inventiveness, expected to one day become president of the United States, the hero Zuckerberg is now a scarecrow. It was thought to be out of reach; he will have to fight tooth and nail to avoid the disintegration of his group.

The proceedings brought in the United States against Facebook mark a turning point in the fight against the hegemony of the Gafa. For the first time in their native land, there is an official request for the dismantling of one of them. To get to this point, the limit of what a liberal and competitive economy can accept had to be reached. That the omnipotence and sense of impunity of these modern-day ogres have become unacceptable. No one disputes the credit that goes to Facebook and its cronies for their exceptional success. Like the others, the king of social networks has built its success on unparalleled technology, impeccable services, ingenious innovations, strategic choices without fail. But, for a long time now, the rest of the adventure is extremely questionable. With its ultra-dominant position, Facebook - like Google or Amazon in their sectors - uses all means, including the least confessable, to destroy competition and monopolize all the revenues of the web. His forays into politics, through the Cambridge Analytica scandal, or into the sovereign realm with the creation of his own currency, the libra, finally convinced that it was high time to regain control.

The American offensive comes at the right time, at a time when Europe is finally waking up, under the determined impetus of French Commissioner Thierry Breton, to loosen the grip of the Gafa. Even with the help of Uncle Sam, it will be a long-term work.

The feeling of impunity of digital ogres becomes unacceptable