The Enshittification of Tech: Norway’s Consumer Council Declares War on Digital Decay

In a bold and unprecedented move, Norway’s Consumer Council has launched a full-scale assault on what they’re calling the “enshittification” of digital services—that gradual, infuriating decline in quality that makes your once-beloved apps and platforms progressively worse with each update. The government-funded watchdog has released both a comprehensive report and a viral video that’s already making waves across the tech world.

The Viral Video That’s Breaking the Internet

The Council’s four-minute satirical masterpiece features a fictional tech executive literally demanding that his teams “make things shittier” for users. It’s uncomfortably close to reality, depicting a world where user experience is sacrificed at the altar of profit margins and engagement metrics. The video has struck a nerve with millions who’ve experienced the frustration of features disappearing, interfaces becoming cluttered, and subscription fees creeping upward while actual value plummets.

“It’s not just your imagination. Digital services are getting worse,” the video concludes with damning finality—before delivering a crucial message of hope: “Luckily, it doesn’t have to be this way.”

The Comprehensive 50-Page Battle Plan

The Council’s full report, titled “Breaking Free: Pathways to a Fair Technological Future,” runs over 50 pages and outlines the scope of what they’re calling a digital crisis. The document meticulously documents how everything from streaming services to social media platforms has degraded over time, with companies prioritizing monetization strategies over user satisfaction.

Six-Point Plan to Reverse the Trend

The Council’s recommendations read like a manifesto for digital liberation:

Consumer Control Rights – Users should have the absolute right to modify, repair, and adapt their digital products without artificial restrictions. This means ending the practice of planned obsolescence and allowing users to truly own what they purchase.

Interoperability as Standard – The Council advocates for breaking down the walled gardens that trap users in specific ecosystems. Data portability and decentralized systems should be the default, making it trivial for consumers to switch services if they’re unhappy.

Aggressive Antitrust Enforcement – Big Tech’s monopoly power needs to be dismantled through vigorous competition law enforcement. The report specifically calls out the concerning trend of tech giants acquiring potential competitors before they can threaten market dominance.

Open Source Infrastructure Investment – Public funding should support the development of alternative digital services built on open source code and open protocols, creating genuine competition to proprietary systems.

Public Sector Independence – Government institutions must reduce their dependence on Big Tech services, both to regain control over their digital infrastructure and to create viable market alternatives that respect fundamental rights.

Stronger Consumer Protection – Existing laws around consumer rights and data protection need consistent, deterrent-level enforcement to prevent companies from exploiting legal loopholes.

International Coalition Building

The Council isn’t fighting this battle alone. They’ve organized a coalition of 58 organizations and experts who’ve signed a letter to the Norwegian government demanding immediate action on these issues. The letter specifically requests that the government rebalance power dynamics through enforcement resources and prioritize procurement of services based on open source principles.

“We’re not just asking for policy changes,” explained a Council spokesperson. “We’re demanding a fundamental restructuring of how digital services operate in relation to consumers.”

European-Wide Movement

The Council’s sister organizations across Europe are sending similar letters to their respective governments in 12 countries, creating a coordinated international push for digital rights reform. Additionally, they’ve partnered with 29 civil society organizations—including the Electronic Frontier Foundation and Amnesty International—to send a separate letter to the European Commission warning about the dangers of deregulation and the urgent need to reduce dependency on Big tech.

The Cultural Moment

This initiative represents more than just policy recommendations—it’s capturing a zeitgeist of frustration with how technology has evolved from empowering tool to exploitative platform. The term “enshittification” itself, popularized by technology writer Cory Doctorow, has gone viral precisely because it articulates a shared experience of watching beloved digital services degrade over time.

The Stakes

The Council argues that this isn’t just about convenience or cost—it’s about fundamental rights in the digital age. When users lose control over their devices, when they’re trapped in monopolistic platforms, when their data is harvested without meaningful consent, it represents a erosion of personal autonomy that has real-world consequences.

The Path Forward

The Council’s report doesn’t just diagnose the problem—it provides a roadmap for recovery. By combining regulatory reform, consumer empowerment, and investment in alternatives, they argue that we can reverse the trend of digital degradation and create a technological ecosystem that serves users rather than exploits them.

As the viral video concludes with its message of hope, the Council’s work suggests that while the enshittification of tech might feel inevitable, it’s actually a choice—and one that we can collectively decide to reverse.

tags: tech rights, digital freedom, open source, antitrust, consumer protection, enshittification, big tech monopoly, data portability, interoperability, digital services, Norwegian Consumer Council, tech regulation, viral video, digital rights, platform monopoly, user empowerment

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