Page 12 - aruba-today-20220121

A12 technology
Friday 21 January 2022

How sweeping EU rules would curb

tech companies

EU will show a way that oth-
er democracies can recon-
cile these different political
interests," Meyers said.
WHAT WILL IT COVER?
The Digital Services Act in-
cludes a raft of measures
aimed at better protect-
ing internet users and their
"fundamental rights online."
Tech companies would be
held more responsible for
content on their platforms,
with requirements to beef
up flagging and removal
of illegal content like hate
By KELVIN CHAN AP Busi- in Europe but around the speech or dodgy goods
ness Writer world," the lead EU law- and services sold online like
LONDON (AP) — Online maker on the bill, Christel counterfeit sneakers or un-
companies would have Schaldemose, said during safe toys.
to ramp up efforts to keep a debate Wednesday. "Big To address worries that
harmful content off their tech nations like the U.S. or takedown notices would
platforms and take other China are watching closely infringe on freedom of
steps to protect users under to see what we're now go- speech, lawmakers add-
rules that European Union ing to agree." ed safeguards to ensure
lawmakers approved Thurs- The proposals are one-half they're handled in a "non-
day. of flagship digital regula- arbitrary and non-discrimi-
The 27-nation bloc has tions drafted by the bloc. natory manner," the EU Par-
gained a reputation as a EU lawmakers also are liament said.
trendsetter in the growing working on the Digital Mar- Online platforms would
global push to rein in big kets Act, which is aimed at have to be more transpar-
tech companies facing reining in the power of the ent about their algorithms
withering criticism over mis- biggest online "gatekeep- that recommend the next
information, hate speech ers." video to watch, product
and other harmful content Both will face further ne- to buy or news item at the
on their platforms. gotiations with EU member top of people's social me-
Here's a look at the draft EU countries before taking ef- dia feeds. So-called rec-
rules, known as the Digital fect. ommender systems have
Services Act, and why they Getting the Digital Ser- been criticized for leading
would make an impact: vices Act through the EU people to more increas-
WHAT IS THE DIGITAL SER- Parliament is "a huge step ingly extreme or polarizing
VICES ACT? in tackling the social prob- content.
The legislation is part of a lems caused by online plat- The biggest platforms
sweeping overhaul of the forms," said Zach Meyers, would have to give users at
European Union's digital a senior research fellow at least one option for recom-
rules aimed at ensuring the Centre for European mendations not based on
online companies, includ- Reform think tank. profiling.
ing tech giants like Google Similar efforts are underway There are also measures to
and Facebook parent in the U.S., but there are ban platforms from using
Meta, protect users on their deep divisions between "dark patterns" — decep-
platforms and treat rivals Republicans who criticize tive techniques to nudge
fairly. It's an update of the platforms for censoring users into doing things they
EU's two-decade-old e- their views and Democrats didn't intend to — as well as
commerce directive. who slam them for failing to requiring porn sites to regis-
"The Digital Services Act act. ter the identities of users up-
could now become the "If EU member-states reach loading material.
new gold standard for agreement with Parliament ARE THERE ANY CONTRO-
digital regulation, not just in the coming months, the VERSIAL POINTS?
One of the legislation's
biggest battles was over
surveillance-based adver-
tising, also known as tar-
geted or behavioral ad-
vertising. Such ads would
be banned for children but
not prohibited outright. A
full ban had faced fierce
resistance from the digital
ad industry dominated by
Google and Meta. q