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Marcel GRIGNARD President, Confrontations Europe [vc_btn title= »Télécharger l’article » style= »outline » color= »primary » align= »right » i_icon_fontawesome= »fa fa-file-pdf-o » add_icon= »true » link= »url:http%3A%2F%2Fconfrontations.org%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2017%2F05%2FInterface-107-Sharing-economy.pdf||target:%20_blank| »] Digital technology and online platforms are profoundly changing our economies and our societies. The conference being organised jointly by Confrontations Europe, Coop des Communs, the P2P Foundation, Smart, CECOP-CICOPA Europe and Ouishare (with the backing of the EESC) aims to create a better understanding of these changes and of what a European regulatory framework might look like. The first fact that we verify is that technological determinism does not exist. Digital technology, and online platforms in particular, are a source of tremendous opportunity. Their purpose and the way they function provide a foundation for new forms of solidarity and emancipation. Digital technology fosters a certain degree of horizontality where verticality once prevailed. However, platforms can also create new forms of insecurity and operate in a predatory manner. The adjectives used to describe them, such as