European Commissioner Margrethe Vestager, the woman who took on Silicon Valley giants like Google and Apple and ordered them to pay billions in fines for antitrust violations, is coming to Lithuania in early June. One of the strongest fighters against unfair corporate behavior, Vestager will discuss the challenges of fair competition in the digital era on the main stage of the LOGIN technology and innovation festival.
The Internet and the latest technologies have become part of our daily lives. Whatever we do – work, plan our leisure time, have fun, communicate with family and friends – we use products offered by large corporations. However, universal use also creates opportunities for large corporations to take advantage of their dominant position. The European Commission report recently presented by M. Vestager raises problems in the areas of unfair competition, mergers and data protection. Many of the challenges discussed have existed for a long time, but the digital age poses new difficulties in the fight for transparent and fair competition-based business. The European Commissioner, who will be visiting Lithuania, will not only analyze the current situation, but will also be open to a conversation about possible ways to solve the problems.
“Margrethe Vestager is a strong and ambitious woman whose opinion is listened to by the whole of Europe, and will soon be heard by LOGIN participants. It is not for nothing that she is called the most powerful woman in European political life,” says LOGIN festival director Indrė Petrauskė. “It is important to speak out not only about technological progress or innovations implemented by companies, but also to understand how the control system works. The European Commissioner has repeatedly spoken publicly about how cooperation between the EU and business helps to boost the economy and move forward, which is one of Lithuania’s most important strategic goals.”
I. Petrauskė also points out that this year the festival is paying more attention to the more active integration of women into the technology market and business. Discussions about gender equality in areas that are still often considered a male "playground" will occupy an important place among the presentations and panel discussions.
European Commissioner M. Vestager is not the only politician who will raise issues relevant to society in the digital era on this year's LOGIN stage. This year, we will also see former Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves, who was among the 100 most influential e-government figures and is considered a leader in the field of cybersecurity. The expert will talk more about the "E-stonia" government initiative and the increasingly common issue of electronic voting in Lithuania. Experts from other fields will also share their experiences on the main stage of the festival: Dhiraj Mukherjee, founder of the music recognition platform "Shazam", Christopher Wylie, who exposed the scandal of collecting personal data on the social network "Facebook", and Andy King, producer of perhaps the most famous failed festival "Fyre", and others.
The LOGIN technology and innovation festival, which will take place on June 6-7, returns this year to the exhibition and congress center "Litexpo".
