Brussels: Alphabetical Unit GoogleMeta and other big online platforms will have to do more to tackle illegal content or hefty fines under new internet rules agreed between EU countries and EU lawmakers on Saturday.
The settlement was reached after more than 16 hours of talks. digital services act (DSA) is the second phase of EU antitrust chief Margrethe Vestager’s strategy to rein in the Alphabet arm Google, Meta and others US tech giants,
Last month, it won support from a 27-country bloc and lawmakers for landmark rules called the Digital Markets Act (DMA), which could force Google, Amazon, Apple, Meta and Microsoft to change their core business practices in Europe .
“We have a deal on DSA: The Digital Services Act will ensure that what is illegal offline is also seen and dealt with as illegal online – not as a slogan, as a reality,” Vestager tweeted. said in.
EU MP Dita Charanzova, who called for such rules eight years ago, welcomed the agreement.
“Google, Meta and other large online platforms must act to better protect their users. Europe has clarified that they cannot function as independent digital islands,” it said in a statement.
In a statement, Google said: “As the law is finalized and implemented, details will matter. We look forward to working with policymakers to ensure that the remaining technical details are correct.” May the law work for all.”
Under the DSA, companies face fines of up to 6% of their global turnover for violating the rules, while repeated violations may result in them being banned from doing business in the EU.
The new rules ban targeted advertising aimed at children or based on sensitive data such as religion, gender, race and political opinion. Dark patterns, which are tactics that mislead people into giving personal data to online companies, will also be banned.
Taking specific measures during a crisis will require huge online platforms and online search engines. This step was taken due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and related propaganda.
Companies may be forced to hand over data related to their algorithms to regulators and researchers.
Companies also face an annual fee of up to 0.05% of annual revenue worldwide to cover the cost of monitoring their compliance.
EU MP Martin Shirdevan criticized the exemptions given to medium-sized companies.
“Under pressure from conservatives, it was a mistake to integrate an exception rule for medium-sized companies. With a large number of companies that fall under this definition in the digital sector, the exception is a loophole,” he said. . ,
The DSA will be implemented in 2024.
The settlement was reached after more than 16 hours of talks. digital services act (DSA) is the second phase of EU antitrust chief Margrethe Vestager’s strategy to rein in the Alphabet arm Google, Meta and others US tech giants,
Last month, it won support from a 27-country bloc and lawmakers for landmark rules called the Digital Markets Act (DMA), which could force Google, Amazon, Apple, Meta and Microsoft to change their core business practices in Europe .
“We have a deal on DSA: The Digital Services Act will ensure that what is illegal offline is also seen and dealt with as illegal online – not as a slogan, as a reality,” Vestager tweeted. said in.
EU MP Dita Charanzova, who called for such rules eight years ago, welcomed the agreement.
“Google, Meta and other large online platforms must act to better protect their users. Europe has clarified that they cannot function as independent digital islands,” it said in a statement.
In a statement, Google said: “As the law is finalized and implemented, details will matter. We look forward to working with policymakers to ensure that the remaining technical details are correct.” May the law work for all.”
Under the DSA, companies face fines of up to 6% of their global turnover for violating the rules, while repeated violations may result in them being banned from doing business in the EU.
The new rules ban targeted advertising aimed at children or based on sensitive data such as religion, gender, race and political opinion. Dark patterns, which are tactics that mislead people into giving personal data to online companies, will also be banned.
Taking specific measures during a crisis will require huge online platforms and online search engines. This step was taken due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and related propaganda.
Companies may be forced to hand over data related to their algorithms to regulators and researchers.
Companies also face an annual fee of up to 0.05% of annual revenue worldwide to cover the cost of monitoring their compliance.
EU MP Martin Shirdevan criticized the exemptions given to medium-sized companies.
“Under pressure from conservatives, it was a mistake to integrate an exception rule for medium-sized companies. With a large number of companies that fall under this definition in the digital sector, the exception is a loophole,” he said. . ,
The DSA will be implemented in 2024.