Site icon Gadgets Africa

EU targets 19 big tech with online content restrictions

EU targets 19 big tech with online content restrictions

Five Alphabet subsidiaries, two Meta Platforms, two Microsoft platforms, Twitter, and Alibaba’s AliExpress are among the 19 corporations subject to new European Union online content restrictions, according to EU industry director Thierry Breton.

The Digital Services Act requires businesses to execute risk management, external and independent auditing, exchange data with authorities and researchers, and create a code of conduct by August.

Alphabet’s Google Maps, Google Play, Google Search, Google Shopping, and YouTube are among the 19 firms, as are Meta’s Facebook and Instagram, Amazon’s Marketplace, and Apple’s App Store.

Others include Microsoft’s Linkedin and Bing divisions, booking.com, Pinterest, Snap Inc’s Snapchat, TikTok, Twitter, Wikipedia, Zalando, and Alibaba’s AliExpress.

“We consider these 19 online platforms and search engines have become systematically relevant and have special responsibilities to make the internet safer,” Breton told reporters.

Companies must do more to combat disinformation, provide more protection and choice to consumers, offer stronger protection for youngsters, or face fines of up to 6% of their global revenue.

Breton stated that he is investigating whether additional four to five corporations are subject to the DSA, with a decision due in the coming weeks.

Breton singled out Facebook’s content filtering system for criticism because to its significance in shaping public opinion on important issues.

“Now that Facebook has been designated as a very large online platform, Meta needs to carefully investigate the system and fix it where needed ASAP,” he said.

Twitter and TikTok were also on Breton’s radar.

“At the invitation of Elon Musk, my team and I will carry out a stress test live at Twitter’s headquarters in San Francisco,” he said.

“We are also committed to a stress test with TikTok which has expressed also interest. So I look forward to an invitation to Bytedance’s headquarters to understand better the origin of Tiktok,” Breton said.

Exit mobile version