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THE EUROPEAN UNION’S Digital Services Act which will crack down the availability of illegal content and enforce stronger moderation on the largest social media platforms across the continent has become “legally enforceable” today.
The law aims to make social media companies more transparent, with a particular focus on banning or limiting targeting practices and introducing tighter controls on content.
19 online platforms will have to be in agreement with the Digital Services Act (DSA) and all will be subject to an annual audit, where those found in breach of the new rules face fines of up to 6% of their annual global turnover.
Platforms with at least 45 million monthly active users, which the EU has described as “very large”, will be subjected to every aspect of the DSA, including new standardised codes of conduct and data-sharing and monetisation regulations which the EU plan to fully develop and implement by the beginning on 2025.
Search engines and online stores such as, Alibaba AliExpress, Amazon Store, Apple AppStore, Booking.com, Wikipedia, Zalando, Bing and Google search, are subject to every aspect of the new obligations brought on by the new law.
All major social media platforms, such as Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Snapchat, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube, are also required to fulfil the new obligations.
Companies must ensure the provision of easy-to-use reporting systems for illegal content, stronger content moderation and opt-out options on certain content for all European users on their apps.
The DSA states that the platforms should “serve to remove or disable access to the specific items of information considered to constitute illegal content, without unduly affecting the freedom of expression and of information of recipients of the service”.
European Commissioner for the Internal Market Thierry Breton announced that the law has now become “legally enforceable” adding that he and his services will be “very rigorous” to check that the platforms comply with the DSA.
“We will be investigating and sanctioning them, if not the case.”
Breton said on Twitter today: “These systemic platforms play a very, very important role in our daily life and it is really the time now for Europe, for us, to set our own rules.”
Twitter was among five social media platforms that undertook a “stress-test” this summer to gauge whether they were compliant. Breton warned Musk he needed more resources to moderate dangerous content, but after the billionaire’s takeover, he unleashed a wave of firings.
Twitter owner Elon Musk said his company was “working hard” to comply with the DSA, in a direct reply to Breton post.
We are working hard on this
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 25, 2023
Musk recently hinted that he intends on removing the ability to block other users on his platform. While it is unclear from the legislation if this move will be a breach, the law does request that users be notified for the reasons why a platform has decided to restrict their access or “shadow ban” the user.
The law also allows companies to ban or terminate accounts that are run by bots or are spam accounts – an issue which caused a major stir with Twitter and Musk after he pulled out of the initial purchase of the platform in May 2022 after claiming the website was overrun with fake accounts.
Microsoft vowed this afternoon that the company will provide more information on targeted adverts and protect users against any new risks from artificial intelligence in response to the law coming into force.
Microsoft-owned LinkedIn said in a blog post they had implemented this change for the desktop and mobile version of the network.
AI has also dominated headlines with its dizzying advances after chatbot ChatGPT, developed by OpenAI which Microsoft has invested in, burst onto the scene last year.
The EU is racing to approve the world’s first law regulating AI by the end of the year.
Courtney Gregoire, Microsoft’s chief digital safety officer, vowed Microsoft would “implement additional safeguards to protect against new risks related to AI as they arise and will continue to be transparent about our approach” in a blog post.
Gregoire said other measures taken by Microsoft to comply with the DSA include creating an “Ad Library”, giving European users access to information about the adverts they see on the platform. LinkedIn has taken a similar step.
Gregoire added that Microsoft would also “better explain to users how Bing search works, including its ranking principles, moderation policies, and user controls”.
Amazon and German-owned online retailer Zalando have already contested the Union’s description as “very large”.
Snapchat, owned by Snap, unveiled changes as well this week to its app that include giving users control over the content they see and restricting targeted advertising to children aged 13 to 17 in the EU but also in Britain.
Breton said that he hopes the DSA will make the online environment “safer for everyone in Europe”.
Google’s services apps – Maps, Play, and Shopping – must also meet the new requirements.
The DSA will enforce four sectors of the tech industry: intermediary services offering network infrastructure, hosting services such as cloud and webhosting service, online marketplaces, app stores, collaborative economy platforms and social media platforms. and very large online platforms.
While intermediary services must meet basic consumer and transparency reporting clauses, online social media and market platforms must fulfil the majority of the content moderation and transparency of online advertising obligations.
Members states must now appoint Digital Services Coordinators by 17 February 2024 so that the correct enforcement procedures can begin.
Users of the platforms will have a right to lodge a complaint against the websites, through their respective country’s coordinator, and both parties will have a right to be heard and receive “appropriate information about the status of the complaint”.
If the platform is found to be in breach of the regulation, per the complaint, recipients of the service shall have the right to seek compensation, paid to them by the platform, “in respect of any damage or loss suffered due to an infringement by those providers”.
Many inside and outside of the EU hope the DSA will be a beacon for other countries to take similar action and bring more regulatory oversight of big tech worldwide.
Additional reporting from © AFP 2023
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We can’t police our streets as it is at the moment. How on earth are they going to police public transport? We need an American style type of policing, three strikes and you’re done. We also need our judiciary system to up their game and hand down harder penalties and to stick to them. That way our streets and transport will be more safer.
@Brian k.: the jails are full and they haven’t opened a new one since 1989. No point in increasing police numbers until that is sorted.
@Brian k.: We absolutely do NOT need the American model of anything, especially policing. It’s been shown time and time and time again to be biased and ineffective. All it does is increase the numbers of disadvantaged people in the prison-industrial complex, which is exactly what it’s supposed to do. Updated slavery by another name. We’re better than that
@Brian k.: three strikes is proven not to be a deterrent and is proven to increase violence among offenders. It doesn’t work.
@Paul C: We have to start somewhere. Currently we have repeat offenders with 100+ convictions and no sign of them reforming.
@John Fahy: The midlands prison opened in 2000. I agree with your point that more prison space is urgently needed.
@John Fahy: start executing some of the serial offenders with 500 previous convictions would soon clear out the prisons. No loss to society.
@Brian k.: What’s your goal, to punish those who commit crime or reduce crime overall? If it’s the latter, the US model has shown harsher sentences and prison conditions don’t achieve this
@Brian k.: American style policing, what just shoot everybody who you perceive as a threat. Believe you me American style policing is the last thing we need in this country.
@Brian k.: imagine a public transport police somewhere in another Eu country. Crazy how Ireland is being crazily mismanaged by the government and how baffling how there is absolutely 0 accountability for it.
@Brian k.: are you going to pay the massive tax hike to facilitate the building of more prisons, courts, and hiring of more staff at every level of the justice system to facilitate this? America is more dangerous than it’s ever been and mass incarceration is not a deterrent.
@John Fahy: exactly, and worse part is that over 20million Euro was spent buying a site for a prison and it’s costing thousands more to secure it now and not a block or foundation dug..
@John Fahy: That’s correct. We need a lot more prisons to be built.
@Dave G Doe: very good point!
@John Fahy: Helen mcentee was looking at potential a few years ago. Nothing happened, no surprise there then.
@Paul C: Woke people believe that if they say something, then it is so!
Only one way for the Government to take back control of our streets and that is to hit offenders where it hurts.
Take away their freedom and hit them in the pocket by making deductions from bank accounts or social welfare payments to ensure that fines are paid.
Start by sacking every judges in the country. Most of them haven’t a clue. Giving out suspended sentences for paedophiles like it’s no bother at all
@reg morrisey:
Judge Nolan should be up the first one there.
If they were serious about tackling crime and marking those responsible accountable then hit offenders in the pocket. Increase court fines and take it from their dole (yes most offenders do not work!) and not in lots of small instalments. If they’re fined €500, take €50 a week for 10 weeks. If teenage thugs under 18 are convicted, take it from their parents children’s allowance. Nothing else works, there are no prison places and community service etc doesn’t work. Mandatory fines taken from your pay for dole will make many of them think twice before committing crimes.
Once they keep the Luas Green for members of better stock and no North or West Side Skangers on it.
Eight thousand soldiers sitting on their holes, why not use them, the French do
Like everything in Ireland I don’t think any of the 4 .5 % reduction will be seen by the consumer…
Ah I see the usual sock puppets are heavily active on this thread cheering each other on with their usual hang’em high cow feces
How about we focus on actually sentencing people properly first? There’s no point hiring “transport police” when we can’t even police the main streets in the city centre. Even if we did hire these “transport release”, unless we fix our sentencing laws it’s still just going to be more catch and release for the criminals. There is no reason why the Dáil can’t pass a bill which mandates that the government has to build at least 5 new prisons in the next 10 years on state-owned land. We also need to introduce mandatory minimums for all crimes and make sure that a life sentence means exactly that – a life sentence. You’re not released after 18 years and no chance of getting early parole. We also need a three-strikes rule with a minimum 25 year sentence for those who break it.
Lol! So a new ‘Dublin’ police force then?
The NTA and TFI are not fit for purpose, bring back the carriage office and let them police all public transport services including taxis, the amount of illegal/undocumented taxis on the road is unbelievable
Gardai can’t cope with current level of antisocial behaviour. Judicial system is broken with repeat offenders having no incentive to desist.
Now a new type of garda with different level of authority and can only operate in certain environments and likely will have to hand over detainee to a garda anyway. Recipie for inefficiency.
Will believe it when l see it
If men were just men again it be grand. Telling ye, a few pud mouths wrecking my head and illnjust drag them off at the next stop. I was born in the 90s but I know this was how it was done in the 70s
would they fine their recurrent traffic offenders and report those rude drivers who deliberately miss their bus stops ?
…
Can’t recruit gardai naval personal army airport and now they want transport police lol
have your say