Military Space News
CYBER WARS
EU designates TikTok, other online platforms for stricter rules
EU designates TikTok, other online platforms for stricter rules
By Raziye Akkoc
Brussels (AFP) April 25, 2023

The European Union on Tuesday designated 19 online platforms, including Instagram, TikTok and Twitter, as having user numbers so big they will come under stricter regulatory rules for content.

The list -- on which services from Amazon, Google, Meta, Instagram and Microsoft also feature -- all have more than 45 million monthly active users.

That puts them in a category under a new EU law, known as the Digital Services Act (DSA), imposing measures from August such as annual audits and a duty to effectively counter disinformation and hate content.

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.

"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 meeting the 45-million-plus threshold include Twitter, owned by US billionaire Elon Musk; 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 are Microsoft's LinkedIn, Apple's iOS App Store, online encyclopedia Wikipedia, messaging app Snapchat and creative image website Pinterest.

Under the DSA, they are 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, but Chinese-owned platforms TikTok and e-commerce site AliExpress also feature.

The commission also listed German online fashion retailer Zalando.

- Huge fines -

Breton told journalists on Tuesday his team will hold "stress tests" 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.

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

The DSA has a wide range of objectives, including forcing 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.

The rules allow the EU to impose fines of up to six percent of the platforms' annual global sales for repeated infringements.

By August 25, 2023 the 19 platforms must have an independent compliance system in place and give their first annual risk assessment to the European Commission, including 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 were a "huge step forward" for the DSA to bring "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.

Breton said "four to five" more platforms could be added to the list "in the coming weeks" but refused to name which ones.

The DSA is one of two major laws the EU passed last year to rein in digital platforms to protect EU users.

The special obligations for very large platforms are in addition to the DSA rules that will apply to all from February 17, 2024.

The second law, the Digital Markets Act, prohibits anti-competitive behaviour by so-called "gatekeepers" of the internet.

raz/rmb/giv

MICROSOFT

GOOGLE

Meta

Twitter

AMAZON.COM

Related Links
Cyberwar - Internet Security News - Systems and Policy Issues

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters
Tweet

RELATED CONTENT
The following news reports may link to other Space Media Network websites.
CYBER WARS
Thales seizes control of ESA satellite in first Cybersecurity Exercise of its kind
Paris, France (SPX) Apr 25, 2023
The European Space Agency (ESA) challenged cybersecurity experts in the space industry ecosystem to disrupt the operation of the agency's OPS-SAT demonstration nanosatellite. Participants used a variety of ethical hacking techniques to take control of the system used to manage the payload's global positioning system, attitude control system1 and onboard camera. Unauthorised access to these systems can cause serious damage to the satellite or lead to a loss of control over its mission. Thales's off ... read more

CYBER WARS
Raytheon to provide Patriot air defense system to Switzerland

Aegis Combat System intercepts target during flight test

Ukraine forces complete Patriot training in US: Pentagon

PAC-3 flight test paves the way for new Patriot software release

CYBER WARS
Poland inspects suspected missile found in a forest

AMRAAM variant, AIM-120D-3, completes critical milestone

Raytheon Technologies selected by US Navy for anti-ship strike weapon

Partnering and integration speeds delivery of a hypersonic missile

CYBER WARS
Iran army gets 200 new 'strategic' drones: state media

Built to bounce back researchers design drones to cope with collisions

Drones navigate unseen environments with liquid neural networks

LIDS: A sure shot against drones

CYBER WARS
Hughes introduces Smart Network Edge Software for critical DoD communications

42-satellite constellation will provide resilient, secure comms for US troops globally

Building a Secure Resilient Satellite Infrastructure for Europe

Raytheon and SpiderOak collaborate to secure satcoms in crowded LEO

CYBER WARS
Developing agile, reliable sensing systems with microbes

US announces new $325 mn military aid package for Ukraine

Boeing signs joint weapons development deal with South Korea

Xi says China must strengthen training for 'actual combat'

CYBER WARS
Highest military spending in Europe since Cold War: study

Australia unveils biggest defence reform in decades

Seoul says military aid for Ukraine 'depends on Russia'

Polish PM blasts 'short-sighted' European opening to China after Macron visit

CYBER WARS
Czechs seek to boost security with new US defence deal

China says UK 'clinging to the past' with FM speech

Russian military aircraft intercepted over Baltic Sea: Germany

Macron, Biden agree to 'engage' China on Ukraine: French statement

CYBER WARS
Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.