The decision against Microsoft contributes to our national sovereignty
Budapest, 4 June 2025 –“The Hungarian Competition Authority protects the interests of the Hungarian people even against global technology companies” –said Csaba Balázs Rigó, President of the GVH, at the MCC Budapest Summit on Technology and Society. In a panel discussion at the international event, the GVH President also addressed the competition supervision proceeding against Microsoft, which was concluded last Friday. The software giant uses 10 billion Hungarian words to develop its own AI-based systems and makes the data available to other developers for free. Alluding to the anniversary of the signing of the Trianon peace treaty, Balázs Csaba Rigó said: “Preserving the Hungarian language is the basis of our national unity.”
Mathias Corvinus Collegium (MCC) is hosting the MCC Budapest Summit on Technology and Society, an international conference from the 3rd to the 5th of June 2025, which aims to discuss in depth the challenges facing society through innovation and digital development. Csaba Balázs Rigó, President of the GVH, was invited to the event to share the experiences of the GVH in the context of the panel discussion Regulating Big Tech: Protecting Privacy, Families, and Communities.
Csaba Balázs Rigó pointed out that the Hungarian Competition Authority has been paying close attention to the investigation of global technology companies for almost a decade. As he said, “These tech giants and platforms impact society as a whole and dominate the entire value chain of the digital ecosystem.” He added: “It is therefore of the utmost importance that they fully comply with competition and consumer protection rules, avoiding misleading practices such as greenwashing, dark patterns or providing inadequate information to users.”
In recent years, the GVH has imposed obligations on Google and PayPal, among others, and has imposed significant fines on Apple and Booking.com in Hungary. In February 2023, the Hungarian competition authority concluded its proceedings against Wish, one of the world's largest e-commerce marketplaces, and at the end of November 2023 it closed its investigation into TikTok, which had results with global impact. In May 2024, the proceedings against Viber were concluded, as a result of which the messaging app company also committed to a series of measures.
The President of the GVH pointed out that: “In proceedings against global technology companies, the Hungarian Competition Authority aims to ensure that instead of or in addition to imposing fines, companies take measures that are in the interest of Hungarian consumers and businesses, and protect and help Hungarian users.”
During the panel discussion, Csaba Balázs Rigó also discussed the results of the competition supervision proceeding against Microsoft, which was concluded last Friday. As a result of the Hungarian Competition Authority's proceeding, the global technology company has agreed to train its artificial intelligence-based systems on a properly prepared dataset based on 10 billion Hungarian words, and to make the dataset available for other AI systems as well.
The President of the GVH stressed that: "The commitment imposed by the Competition Council will result in the development of Hungarian AI-based models, not only by Microsoft, but also by other developers, on a historic and unprecedented scale. The result achieved is of paramount importance for the cultural and linguistic sovereignty of Hungary. The preservation of the Hungarian language is the basis of our national unity", said Csaba Rigó at the MCC Budapest Summit on Technology and Society.
GVH Press
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