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WORLD NEWS Wednesday 26 april 2023

Big Tech crackdown looms as EU, UK ready new rules

By KELVIN CHAN “Now that Facebook has
AP Business Writer been designated as a very
LONDON (AP) — TikTok, large online platform, Meta
Twitter, Facebook, Google, needs to carefully inves-
and Amazon are facing ris- tigate its system and fix it
ing pressure from European where needed ASAP,” he
authorities as London and said.
Brussels advanced new Facebook’s parent com-
rules Tuesday to curb the pany said it supports the
power of digital compa- EU’s new Digital Services
nies. Act.
They’re among those on “We are already taking ex-
a list of the 19 biggest on- tensive steps to ensure we
line platforms and search meet the DSA’s require-
engines that the European ments, including expand-
Union’s executive arm said ing and evolving our exist-
must meet extra obliga- ing transparency tools and
tions for cleaning up illegal reporting systems,” Meta
content and disinforma- said.Violations could result
tion and keeping users safe in fines worth up to 6% of a
under the 27-nation bloc’s company’s annual global
landmark digital rules that A worker helps set up the Google booth before CES International, in Las Vegas, USA, on Jan. 4, revenue amounting to bil-
take effect later this year. 2020. lions of dollars or even a
The U.K. government, Associated Press ban on operating in the EU.
meanwhile, unveiled draft Thierry Breton said in an on- to carry out the voluntary be clearly labeled when The European Commis-
legislation that would give line briefing. mock exercise. Breton they come up in search re- sion’s list of very large on-
regulators more power to He proposed the idea to didn’t detail what the test sults, Breton said. line platforms is limited to
protect consumers from TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew would entail. Platforms will have to “com- those with at least 45 mil-
online scams and fake re- when they met in Brussels Starting Aug. 25, the big- pletely redesign” their sys- lion users in Europe, which
views and boost digital earlier this year. gest online platforms will tems to ensure high a level includes Google’s Search,
competition. “I’m happy that they came have to give European us- of privacy and safety for Play, Maps, Shopping and
The updates help solidify back to us saying they are ers more control by mak- children, including verifying YouTube services; Ama-
Europe’s reputation as the interested,” Breton said, ing it easier to report illegal users’ ages, Breton said. zon Marketplace; Apple’s
global leader in efforts to but added that he’s wait- content like hate speech Big Tech companies also App Store; Microsoft’s Bing
rein in the power of social ing for Chew to provide a and providing more infor- will have to revamp their and LinkedIn; Meta’s Face-
media companies and oth- date. TikTok did not reply to mation on why their sys- systems to “prevent algo- book and Instagram; plus
er digital platforms. a request for comment. tems recommend certain rithmic amplification of dis- Pinterest, Snapchat, TikTok,
TikTok will allow European Twitter had agreed earlier content. information,” he said, say- Twitter, Wikipedia, Book-
Commission officials to to a stress test, and Breton There are guardrails for ing he was particularly con- ing.com, China’s Alibaba
carry out a “stress test” of said he and his team will content generated by arti- cerned about Facebook’s Aliexpress and German
its systems to ensure they travel to the company’s ficial intelligence like deep- content moderation sys- ecommerce company
comply with the Digital Ser- headquarters in San Fran- fake videos and synthetic tems ahead of September Zalando.q
vices Act, Commissioner cisco at the end of June images, which will have to elections in Slovakia.

Spain pleads for EU crisis funds as drought hits farmers

By JENNIFER O’MAHONY are high temperatures, territory is classified as in levels. The agriculture min- ing the strict requirements
and SERGIO RODRIGO but they are much more drought “emergency” or ister said he had also asked of the bloc’s agricultural
Associated Press accentuated in the case “alert,” according to the the EU to provide a higher policy. The government
MADRID (AP) — Spain is re- of the Iberian Peninsula,” Ecological Transition minis- advance payment ahead also announced a 1.8-bil-
questing emergency funds Planas added following a try, and water reserves are of the next season, and lion-euro tax cut for affect-
from the European Union to cabinet meeting, describ- at 50% of capacity nation- urged “flexibility” in meet- ed farmers.q
support farmers and ranch- ing the release urgent fi- ally. In Spain’s most impor-
ers amid extreme drought nancial assistance as of tant agricultural region,
conditions in its agricultur- “the utmost importance.” Andalusia, the situation is
al heartlands, Agriculture Spain already received far worse. The Guadalqui-
Minister Luis Planas said 64.5 million euros ($70 mil- vir river basin is at 24.8%
Tuesday. Planas wrote to lion) last year from the EU of its capacity, and farm-
the European Commission- Common Agricultural Pol- ers in the region have had
er for Agriculture, Janusz icy’s crisis reserve to cope their water allowance for
Wojciechowski, on Monday with the increased cost of irrigation cut by up to 90%
to plead for aid for Spain’s raw materials linked to Rus- in some cases. Spain is the
890,000 farm workers, in- sia’s invasion of Ukraine, world’s biggest exporter of
cluding from the bloc’s ag- but five consecutive years olive oil, and an important
ricultural crisis reserve and of drought in some regions producer of fruits and veg-
unused rural development have worsened an already etables. The drought has View of the Sau reservoir about 100 km (62 miles) north of
funds, he said. difficult situation. already driven up Spanish Barcelona.
“There is drought, there Currently, 27% of Spanish olive oil prices to record Associated Press