How will European Union's Digital Services Act impact Google, Facebook, TikTok, other major tech companies
TikTok, Amazon, Instagram, Snapchat and other major tech companies operating in Europe are confronting an extensive effort to clean up online content, AP reported. The first phase of the European Union’s new new digital regulations, known as the Digital Services Act (DSA), is set to become effective from this Friday, August25. The DSA, a part of a suite of tech-focused rules developed by the 27-nation bloc, aims to enhance online user safety and prevent the spread of illegal or harmful content, including content violating platform terms of service, such as promotion of genocide or anorexia.
It also seeks to safeguard fundamental rights like privacy and free speech. Some online platforms have already begun making changes to comply with the DSA, which could subject them to significant fines if they fail to do so. As of now, 19 platforms are affected, including prominent social media platforms like Facebook, TikTok, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and Snapchat.
Five online marketplaces including Amazon, Booking.com, Alibaba AliExpress, and Germany’s Zalando are also subject to the DSA. Google Play and Apple’s App Store, along with Google’s Search and Microsoft’s Bing search engine, are part of the regulatory scope. Google Maps and Wikipedia are also included.
The list is based on numbers submitted by the platforms. Hence, those with 45 million or more users or 10% of the EU’s population will be under DSA’s regulation. However, some notable platforms like eBay, Airbnb, Netflix, and even PornHub are not on the EU’s list, raising questions about the list's completeness.
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