Swipe to Unlock - How the Smartphone Duopoly Undermines Digital Sovereignty
Should democracy in Switzerland depend on the approval of Google and Apple?
While smartphones progressively become mandatory for essential services such as banking or interactions with the public administration, the duopoly of Apple and Google is getting more and more control over digital access. Through their dominance over the smartphone market, Google and Apple are in a position to act as gatekeepers for state functions like taxation and welfare distribution. The risk for Switzerland is real: as an example, the recently democratically voted e-ID system, could simply be blocked by US actors, despite being a tool made and chosen by Swiss citizens for Switzerland. This dependency undermines national self-determination and erodes individual autonomy, giving private and non-Swiss entities a de facto veto power over some governmental decisions. This talk analyzes the geopolitical and economic risks of this dependency and outlines strategies to ensure that the digital infrastructure supports democratic resilience rather than corporate monopoly.
As smartphones transition from consumer luxuries to mandatory gateways for essential services—including banking, healthcare, and civic administration, the architecture of our digital infrastructure has become a critical determinant of individual and national self-determination. Currently, the mobile ecosystem is split between Apple's walled garden and Google's increasingly restrictive Android environment. While historically positioned as the more open alternative, Android is undergoing a rapid lockdown that mirrors iOS's total control over hardware and software.
This move creates a precarious geopolitical reality: states are becoming functionally dependent on the approval of a two private entities, to execute fundamental sovereign duties such as tax collection and social benefit distribution. By leveraging dominance in search, bot protection, and operating systems, Google effectively holds some veto power over public administration. This presentation argues that this trend represents the culmination of a decades-long strategy by major tech firms to erode user autonomy and restrict the ability of individuals to utilize purchased hardware according to their own needs. The risk for Switzerland is real: as an example, the recently democratically voted e-ID system, could simply be blocked by US actors, despite being a tool made and chosen by Swiss citizens for Switzerland.
We will analyze the specific mechanisms driving this centralization, the resulting risks to democratic accountability and economic resilience for Switzerland and the world, and the potential pathways to a healthier situation. The talk will conclude by outlining technical and regulatory strategies such as supporting alternative mobile operating systems and maintaining non-digital processes for essential services, to ensure that digital infrastructure provides long term social benefits rather than profit private monopolies.
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Philippe Gervais has a background in academia and software engineering. A reformed former big tech employee, he is now active with Digitale Gesellschaft / Société Numérique, a Swiss NGO defending fundamental rights in the digital space https://www.digitale-gesellschaft.ch.
He is particularly interested in questions of privacy, and in promoting digital sovereignty understood as self-determination and choice, at all levels - from individuals to countries.
He loves meeting and connecting people, come and chat!
https://social.tchncs.de/@docta_gervais