Markets
28/03/2022

Deal On Rules Requiring Tech Firms To Control Content Could Be Reached In April: EU's Vestager




According to EU antitrust chief Margrethe Vestager, a deal between European Union governments and EU parliamentarians that would oblige large internet firms to do more to police the material and content published on their platforms, could be reached by next month.
 
Vestager had introduced the new legislation called Digital Services Act (DSA) just over a year ago. According to this new regulation, digital firms will be required to do more to combat and prevent unlawful and harmful content being published on their platforms or face fines of up to 6 per cent of their global revenue.
 
EU countries and EU legislators are already squabbling about the definition of an online marketplace subject to the rules, as well as the criterion for prohibiting tailored marketing.
 
"There is a very strong momentum to get things done. And the leadership of the French presidency may allow us to finalise the Digital Services Act before the end of April. But if we work hard, and we're lucky, it may be possible," Vestager told Reuters in an interview.
 
Vestager last Friday received approval from EU governments and legislators for her second landmark proposal, the Digital Markets Act (DMA), which targets Google, Amazon, Apple, Meta, and Microsoft.
 
The DMA establishes a list of dos and don'ts and gives corporations classified as online gatekeepers, which control access and data on their platforms, six months to comply. Businesses, on the other hand, argue that this is insufficient time for such complex legislation. Vestager stated that no extension will be granted because corporations are aware of what constitutes anti-competitive behaviour.
 
"Well, actually both I think we in our work and the companies should be very happy that we have six months because it was one of the things that were intensively discussed during the negotiations," she said.
 
"And since both the prohibitions and the obligations are things that come from established case law, I don't think any of them are sort of big surprises."
 
Asked whether the DMA would cover non-U.S. tech giants, Vestager said: "It's likely but I don't know."
 
Observers said booking.com and Alibaba may fall under the new rules
 
(Source:www.usnews.com)

Christopher J. Mitchell
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