EU designates 19 tech giants with over 45 million active users for stricter online content rules

The European Union on Tuesday announced stricter content rules for 19 online platforms, including Instagram, TikTok and Twitter. The new rules apply to platforms that have a massive number of followers. The list also features services from Amazon, Google, Meta, Instagram and Microsoft, all of which have more than 45 million active users.

Since the number of followers on these platforms is huge, they will now fall under a category known as the Digital Services Act (DSA). The new law imposed measures such as annual audits and a duty to effectively counter disinformation and hate content from August.

In four months' time, "these platforms and search engines will not be able to act as if they were 'too big to care'," Thierry Breton, the EU's internal market commissioner, said in a statement.

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"This new supervision system will cast a wide and tight net and catch all points of failure in a platform's compliance," he added.

Platforms that meet the 45-million-plus threshold include Elon Musk-owned Twitter, Alphabet's Google Search, Google Maps, Google Shopping and Google Play units as well as its YouTube subsidiary; and Meta's Facebook and Instagram.

Others on the list are Microsoft's LinkedIn, Apple's iOS App Store, Wikipedia, messaging app Snapchat and creative image website Pinterest.

Tuesday's announcement follows a February deadline for online companies to publish user figures in Europe.

Under the DSA, they will be categorised as a "Very Large Online Platform" (VLOP) or a "Very Large Online Search Engine" (VLOSE).

Most of the companies on the list are US-based. However, there is also Chinese-owned platforms TikTok and the e-commerce site AliExpress also feature. German online fashion retailer Zalando has also been named.

Talking about the new rules, Breton said Tuesday that "stress tests" will be undertaken by his team to check Twitter's compliance readiness "at the end of June".

He added that TikTok had also expressed an interest in cooperating to ensure compliance.

The DSA aims to force platforms to better protect children, strengthen transparency around digital services, prohibit the sale online of unsafe goods and allow users to have greater choice when online in the EU.

Fines of up to six per cent of the platforms' annual global sales for repeated infringements can also be imposed under the rule.

By August 25, 2023, all 19 platforms need to have an independent compliance system in place. They will have to give their first annual risk assessment to the European Commission and tell how they plan to handle content on mental health and gender-based violence.

There will then be an independent audit and oversight by the commission.

Commission vice president Margrethe Vestager said the designations will lead to "meaningful transparency and accountability of platforms and search engines and give consumers more control".

Online platforms declaring themselves below the 45-million user threshold include Swedish music-streaming site Spotify, US dating app Tinder and home-rental platform Airbnb.

"Four to five" more platforms could be added to the list "in the coming weeks," Breton said.

The DSA is one of two major laws the EU passed last year to rein in digital platforms to protect EU users. The second law is the Digital Markets Act which prohibits anti-competitive behaviour by so-called "gatekeepers" of the internet.

(With inputs from agencies)

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