Presidential 2022: how Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen want to win against GAFAM?

Only a few days left before the presidential election, which will determine who Emmanuel Macron or Marine Le Pen will lead France for the next five years. After looking at the positions of the two finalists on the thorny subject of cryptocurrency, we are now interested in GAFAM, these web giants who reign supreme over the global Internet and our personal data. During the debate between two rounds which took place last night, everyone was able to express their views on the future of Google, Facebook and others in France. We take stock.

Marine Le Pen wants to put an end to the white areas

For years now, the National Rally has been a fervent opponent of the hegemony of the American GAFAM, and dreams of a French (or at least European) sovereign web. Last night, the candidate reaffirmed her idea, indicating that France was able “For years” to create a French Google capable of competing with the American and Chinese giants. Usually hostile to the European Union, she nevertheless admitted that the EU had its role to play in the creation of the sovereign web, in particular to counter “the uberization of the economy” inherited from the American model.

Even more important than creating a Google Frenchthe National Rally wants above all to make it a point of honor to ensure perfect digital coverage over the whole territory. The candidate thus recalled her “first priority” on this subject, namely to concentrate its efforts on rural areas to deploy broadband everywhere, and in particular to develop telemedicine.

Emmanuel Macron wants a secure European web

For his part, Emmanuel Macron first wanted to draw up a positive assessment of his five-year term, notably welcoming the role of the French startup Doctolib in the management of the covdi-19 pandemic and the vaccination campaign. Unlike Marine Le Pen, the presidential candidate is betting on a European digital single market, based on the principles enacted by the GDPR. According to him, the EU is the only one capable of dealing with GAFAM to protect its citizens from digital risks.

Also convinced of Europe’s potential for innovation in the face of the major Chinese and American powers, Emmanuel Macron is betting on a plan “Europe 2030“ to boost the attraction of the old continent. At the same time, the candidate reaffirmed his objective of “regulate competitiveness“, by imposing a minimum tax of 15% of turnover for all large foreign companies that make profit in France, and more generally in Europe.

In a previous speech, Macron also considered the “dismantling” of GAFAM. Behind this phrase that looks like a well-prepared punchline, the politician knows that doing without Facebook, Google or Microsoft is unthinkable today. However, he temporized his speech by insisting on the need to “rearm” in the face of the risks, both linked to the giants of the web and those linked to the growing cybercrime. In addition to firmer regulation of GAFAM, it plans to hire 1,500 “cyber patrollers” to deal with cyber threats.

While Marine Le Pen wants to focus her efforts on French digital coverage, Emmanuel Macron wants to tackle cyber threats, and more firmly frame the actions of GAFAM. On one side or the other, the finalist candidates know that they will not be able to move forward without the support of the European Union.