These new Internet rules affect everyone
The EU has agreed on a new set of rules that will primarily affect large tech companies and their customers. The Digital Services Act and Digital Markets Act aim to make the internet safer, fairer and more open.
EU: Stricter rules for tech companies
The EU Parliament passed the Digital Services Act (DSA) and Digital Markets Act (DMA) with a large majority. This clears the way for some significantly stricter rules for large Internet corporations. Google, Meta (Facebook), Amazon and Apple must adapt in the EU to stave off massive penalties.
Central to DSA and DMA are more supervision and consumer protection. In addition, the market power of large companies with more than 45 million users is to be contained.
According to the DMA, large tech companies must allow third parties to interact with their own services. The EU explicitly mentions “messaging platforms” here, which must enable access by smaller providers. Messages should be able to be sent “across apps”..
Big internet platforms will prohibited from giving preference to one’s own services. The use of third-party app stores must be allowed. Pre-installed apps on cell phones must be easy to uninstall (source: Eu Parliament).
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The new regulations of the DSA provide, among other things, for an advertising ban if products aimed at children. Also, “sensitive data” may no longer be used for the targeted placement of ads. Dark patterns are prohibited. Platforms must also react more quickly when illegal content is reported to them. Traders on online marketplaces should be able to be more closely monitored and traced.
EU threatens corporations with massive penalties
In the event of violations of DSA or DMA, the EU Commission Fines of up to 10 percent of global sales impose on a corporation. If it happens again, it should be up to 20 percent.
After it was passed by the EU Parliament, there is now one more approval at ministerial level out, which, however, is only considered a formality. Negotiators from Parliament and EU states had previously agreed on DSA and DMA.
