A decisive step has been taken in Parliament on the Digital Services Act


MEPs adopted, on Thursday, the draft legislation on digital services, the Digital Services Act (DSA), to better fight against illegal content and ensure the responsibility of platforms. They thus give the green light to the opening of negotiations with the Member States.

“We are regaining control over the internet giants”, rejoiced on Wednesday, the text’s rapporteur, MEP Christel Schaldemose, during the debate on this text. The Digital Services Act aims to impose new content obligations on online intermediaries, in particular online platforms such as social media and marketplaces, and also imposes “enhanced transparency” on the algorithms used by these platforms.

These measures establish “a notification and action procedure, as well as guarantees for the removal of illegal products, services or content”, indicates the Parliament in a press release published after the vote. Hosting service providers should act on notifications “without undue delay, taking into account the type of illegal content notified and the urgency of action”.

In addition, MEPs have also provided for “enhanced safeguards to ensure that notifications are processed in a non-arbitrary and non-discriminatory manner”, the statement said. It should be noted that the rules imposed will be asymmetrical, and the “very large platforms” will thus be subject to “specific obligations because of the particular risks they present” concerning content deemed “harmful and illicit”.

Several amendments made by Parliament

The Europeans supplemented the Commission’s initial proposal in certain aspects, starting with an exemption for micro and small enterprises from certain DSA-related obligations.

On the part of targeted advertising, the text provides “a more transparent and informed choice” for recipients of online services, including information on how their data will be monetized, details the press release.

Furthermore, the text of the DSA provides for enhanced protection of minors online. This means that “targeting or amplification techniques involving the data of minors for the purpose of displaying advertisements will be prohibited, as will the targeting of people on the basis of special categories of data allowing the targeting of vulnerable groups”, says Parliament.

Other elements of the text discussed include the right to compensation. This right will allow beneficiaries of digital services to access remedies against online platforms if they do not comply with their obligations. Companies that violate these provisions may be fined up to 6% of their annual turnover.

A negotiation phase under French vigilance

On the eve of the vote, in a speech given to the European institutions, Commissioner Thierry Breton was delighted to see the plenary debate take place, “barely a year after our December 2020 proposal”. It is, according to him, a “historic step towards the end of what is known as the ‘Wild West’ dominating our information space”.

“In just over a year, we have made remarkable progress with the European Parliament and the Council, and I am convinced that we will be able to adopt these proposals together under the French Presidency by the end of June,” said -he.

If the EU has chosen a “horizontal regulation of the digital internal market”, Thierry Breton however adds that “there are of course problems for more specific services or sectors and we will address them, when necessary, with specific regulations. “.

The DSA, like the DMA (Digital Markets Act), is one of the files followed closely under the French presidency. The French government welcomed the progress of the work following the vote. From now on, “it is up to France, as President of the Council of the European Union since 1er January 2022, to conduct the trialogues and to negotiate on the basis of the mandate given to it by the Member States on 25 November last on the DSA (and the DMA, the first trialogue of which was held on 11 January”, according to a statement.

To this end, Cédric O should in particular meet “over the next few weeks” with European parliamentarians on this subject. “It is imperative to quickly update the rules resulting from the e-commerce directive and to make the platforms responsible for their role in the distribution of content”, commented the Secretary of State for the digital transition and electronic communications. .





Source link -97