EU plan for sweeping update of Big Tech rules gains momentum

LONDON – The European Union’s ambitious program to update its pioneering net rules gained momentum Tuesday aft a cardinal committee passed measures requiring exertion companies to amended constabulary contented and lawmakers prepared to ballot connected regulations to rein successful Big Tech.

The 27-nation bloc has for the past twelvemonth been drafting a sweeping overhaul of regulations for integer companies, aimed astatine making definite tech giants similar Google and Facebook, present renamed Meta, dainty rivals reasonably and support users connected their platforms.

The rules, which person been the taxable of fierce lobbying from the tech industry, look acceptable for support from lawmakers, though they inactive look pugnacious negotiations adjacent twelvemonth with EU bodies. The regulations, and similar ones successful the United Kingdom to curb harmful online content, amusement Europe's relation arsenic a pacesetter for regulating the tech manufacture arsenic a planetary question picks up gait pursuing whistleblower Frances Haugen's allegations that Facebook enactment profits up of safety.

Ad

One acceptable of EU rules, the Digital Services Act, aims to marque tech companies much liable for contented connected their platforms. The pb committee moving connected the rules said Tuesday that it approved amendments earlier sending the draught to the afloat EU Parliament for a vote, expected successful January.

“We are present democratically reclaiming our online environment," EU Parliament subordinate Christel Schaldemose said. “The DSA is bringing EU tech regularisation into the 21st century, and it is astir time.”

The committee approved a prohibition connected platforms utilizing “dark patterns” — deceptive oregon nudge techniques to power users to bash things that they don't mean to — arsenic good arsenic restrictions connected targeting ads to children and requiring porn sites to registry the identities of users uploading material.

Ad

EU officials privation to usage different acceptable of rules, known arsenic the Digital Markets Act, to clamp down connected the biggest online companies, dubbed “digital gatekeepers,” by laying retired a database of dos and don'ts.

With those rules, the bloc is seeking to forestall tech giants from dominating integer markets, a alteration from its erstwhile signifier of issuing large fines for past antitrust violations.

EU lawmakers are acceptable to ballot Tuesday and Wednesday connected the draft Digital Markets Act, which includes giving the European Commission, the EU's enforcement branch, the powerfulness to halt “killer acquisitions” — erstwhile tech companies bargain up innovative startups to artifact aboriginal competition.

There are besides tighter restrictions connected targeted online ads and stronger requirements for antithetic messaging services oregon societal media platforms to beryllium capable to enactment with each different — an effort to debar the domination of a fewer companies due to the fact that they person already established large networks of users.

Ad

The Digital Markets Act's criteria for defining a gatekeeper has been tweaked to see companies earning astatine slightest 8 cardinal euros ($9 billion) successful yearly gross successful Europe, person a marketplace worth of 80 cardinal euros, supply services successful astatine slightest 3 EU countries, and person 45 cardinal users and 10,000 concern users.

Violations could beryllium punished with whopping fines: up to 6% of a company’s yearly income nether the Digital Services Act and up to 20% nether the Digital Markets Act, which could enactment retired to billions of dollars for affluent Silicon Valley companies.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This worldly whitethorn not beryllium published, broadcast, rewritten oregon redistributed without permission.