> From a European perspective, FTC independence is a crucial element, because Article 8(3) of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights (CFR) requires that the processing of personal data is monitored and enforce by an “independent” body.

How do you measure this independence? In IPs (Independence Points)? In Europe all agencies that are similar to the FCC are also independent… in paper, because they all depend on the executive branch.

There is a big elephant behind this article. There is no way for the EU to actually enact any meaningful change because:

- American big tech is too entrentched in all bureaucracies of Europe, and the few that try to change face a mountain of obstacles (Linux lol)

- because of the Ukraine war, idiotic energy policy in Germany (anti-nuclear + pro-LNG), political lock in France and the EU Comission blind Russophobia (Kaja Kallas comes to mind), we have come to be increasingly reliant in fossil products coming from the US (or other eager US allies like Qatar and the gulf states) which teamed up with the ideological turn of the current US administration means that any semblance of a trial to try to appear "sovereign" will end up in retaliatory consequences and another humiliating treaty where the EU has to acquiesce silently

- the gerontocratic and ossified EU bureaucracy (same adjectives apply to the UK) knows nothing other than to regulate, not to build and thus there is no way to meaningfully build infrastructures to counter both the US and the Chinese