Their names are finally known. One year after the adoption of the Digital Services Act (DSA), the European Commission has designated the online platforms that will be subject to the highest requirements of this unique regulation in the world.
The DSA aims to protect European Internet users from the dissemination of content and products considered illegal in their countries, but also to push social networks, e-commerce sites and search engines to assume greater responsibilities vis-à-vis – vis-à-vis the risks associated with their services: disinformation and propaganda operations, creation of filter bubbles, reinforcement of discrimination and gender-based violence, harmful effects on the mental health of children, etc.
The 19 designated platforms have an audience of more than 45 million monthly users within the European Union. These are the search engines Google Search and Microsoft Bing; e-commerce sites Amazon, AliExpress, Zalando and the Google Shopping comparator; social networks Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, LinkedIn, Pinterest and Snapchat; from the Google Play and Apple Store application stores: but also from YouTube, Google Maps, Wikipedia and the Booking hotel room booking platform.
The countdown is on: these platforms now have four months, until August 25, to comply with the list of obligations associated with this status. Among these are the prohibition of advertising targeting based on the Internet user’s religion, sexual orientation, ethnic origin or political opinions, the prohibition of advertising targeting of minors, the simplification of reporting of illegal content, a clear explanation of the reasons why such advertising or content is recommended to the Internet user, and the possibility of deactivating this personalized sorting in favor of a chronological flow.
The platforms will also have to submit a report every year on all the societal risks associated with their services, and on their actions to remedy them. They will be studied by the scientific and technical arm of the European Commission, the Algorithm Transparency Center. The platforms will also be obliged to submit to external audits, and will have to be more transparent vis-à-vis the world of research.
Failure to comply with DSA obligations exposes platforms to fines of up to 6% of their global turnover, as well as temporary exclusion in Europe.
The Commission is proposing that the designated platforms undergo a “mock audit” by August 25. Twitter has accepted it and will receive teams from the European Commission at its headquarters in San Francisco at the end of June. TikTok also expressed interest.
The list of platforms is evolving. The Commission is currently studying the case of several services which are close to the threshold of 45 million European visitors, or which have submitted questionable data. She hopes to decide on these cases in the coming weeks.
More details to come…
