The European Union could fine big tech companies billions of pounds as part of a new landmark deal to tackle hate speech, disinformation, and other harmful online content.
The new Digital Services Act will force companies including Facebook, Google, and Amazon to police themselves harder and make it easier for users to flag problems.
EU officials finally clinched the deal in the early hours of Saturday morning, and they will impact all 27 member states.
“With the DSA, the time of big online platforms behaving like they are ‘too big to care’ is coming to an end,” said EU Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton.
EU Commission Vice President Margrethe Vestager added that “with today’s agreement we ensure that platforms are held accountable for the risks their services can pose to society and citizens”.
The law is a significant contrast with regulations in the US, where Silicon Valley lobbyists have largely succeeded in keeping federal lawmakers at bay.
The EU’s new rules, which are designed to protect internet users and their “fundamental rights online”, should make tech companies more accountable for content created by users and amplified by their platforms’ algorithms.
The need to regulate online platforms came into focus following the 2016 US election when Russia was found to have used targeted adverts on social media to influence voters.
Facebook and Twitter promised to crack down on misinformation but during the COVID-19 pandemic this only blossomed, and anti-vaccine falsehoods continued to thrive.
Under the EU law, governments would be able to request companies take down a wide range of content that would be deemed illegal, including material that promotes terrorism, child sexual abuse, hate speech and commercial scams.
Social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter would have to give users tools to flag such content in an “easy and effective way” so that it can be swiftly removed.
Source : skynews
