The European Union has approved new legislation that will put pressure on big tech companies like Meta, Google, and Twitter to enforce illegal content on their platforms or face billions of dollars in fines.
The EU reached an agreement early Saturday in Brussels on the Digital Services Act, a landmark law requiring companies to more aggressively police their content and quickly remove anything deemed harmful or illegal.
“Our new rules will protect online users, ensure free expression, and provide opportunities for businesses,” EU President Ursula von der Leyen tweeted. “In the EU, what is illegal offline will effectively be illegal online? A strong signal for people, businesses, and countries all over the world.”
The historic vote comes more than a year after the EU presented the Digital Services Act (DSA) and a Digital Markets Act (DMA) to the European Parliament, which the EU approved last month and seeks to limit big tech’s marketing power. According to the EU, the legislation is the first of its kind in the world to address digital regulation.
“It aims to protect the digital space from the spread of illegal content while also ensuring the protection of users’ fundamental rights,” the EU stated. The law applies to platforms in the EU with more than 45 million monthly active users.
A key provision of the law would limit how big tech companies target users with online ads. The DSA effectively prohibits platforms from targeting users with algorithms based on their gender, race, or religion. Ads that specifically target children will also be prohibited.
The new EU legislation will have an impact on popular user-generated content platforms such as Meta-owned Facebook and Instagram, as well as Twitter, TikTok, and YouTube. It also comes at a time when lawmakers in the United States are still debating how to make big tech companies do a better job of filtering out harmful content.
“European legislators have taken a significant step toward making the internet safer for children and teenagers,” Steyer said. “Local lawmakers must look in the mirror and act quickly to protect our children and our democratic future. It is now up to Congress and the Biden Administration to take action.”
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