More than a dozen large tech companies, including Meta, Apple and Google, face intense legal scrutiny in Europe as the European Union’s comprehensive Digital Services Act (DSA) enters into force on Friday, August 25. The EU’s new DSA has new rules for content moderation, user privacy and transparency.
These regulations include tasks such as curbing the spread of harmful content, restricting techniques to target certain users, and disclosing certain internal data to regulators and relevant researchers.
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Digital Markets Law and AI Law are also on the horizon, meaning that the EU has emerged as a world leader in technology regulation.
Immediate Impact and Future Expansion for Tech Giants
The new law so far only applies to 19 of the largest platforms in the EU with more than 45 million users. However, from mid-February, it will be applied to various online platforms regardless of scale.
“For online platforms, active user counts must be published by 17 February 2023. If a platform or search engine has more than 45 million users (10% of the European population), the European Commission designates its service as a very important service: “A large online platform or a very large online search engine,” DSA said. package.
This is an important step in regulating major online platforms aimed at keeping users safe and preventing the spread of illegal or terms-of-use violating content. We also strive to protect the fundamental rights of European citizens, such as privacy and freedom of expression.
Today, the Digital Services Act — #DSA — Enforceable for very large online platforms and search engines.
These systematic platforms play a very important role in our daily life. So the time has come for the EU to set its own rules.
A safer internet for everyone 🇪🇺 pic.twitter.com/fGPCERx5mW
— Thierry Breton (@ThierryBreton) August 25, 2023
The aforementioned services will have a grace period of four months to meet the requirements set forth in the DSA. This includes conducting an initial annual risk assessment and providing the results to the Commission.
By 17 February 2024, EU Member States must appoint a Digital Services Coordinator. This deadline aligns with the requirement that platforms with less than 45 million active users comply with all regulations specified in her DSA package.
Google is DSA compliant
Alphabet’s Google complies with the DSA, which is “aimed at harmonizing content regulations across the EU and creating specific processes for the moderation of online content.”
DSA’s scope covers a wide range of online services, from marketplaces and app stores to platforms for sharing online videos and search engines.
“As a result, we have adapted many of our long-standing trust and safety processes and changed the operations of some services to comply with the DSA’s specific requirements.” said Google.
The company looks forward to continued engagement with the European Commission and other stakeholders, including technical and policy experts, to “advance this important work.”
“First and foremost, safety is good for our users and good for our business,” Google said, underscoring its commitment to user well-being and transparency. The company said it invests extensively in “people, processes, policies and technology” that resonate with DSA’s purpose.
High fines of up to 6% of global turnover
Companies that violate DSA regulations can be fined up to 6% of their global turnover, and repeat offenders can be banned from doing business in Europe altogether.
“Platforms are expected to fight hard to defend their practices, especially if new compliance rules violate core business models.” Said Kingsley Hayes, head of data privacy litigation at law firm Keller Postman, said:
