Expert: the EU’s new provision aimed at curbing tech giants is a missed opportunity

By: Trademagazin Date: 2023. 09. 06. 11:24

At the end of August, the European Union’s package of legislation on digital services (DSA) was sharpened with the undisclosed aim of breaking the monopoly of global tech giants and obliging them to act more effectively against untrue and harmful content spreading on platforms. For the time being, those involved are scratching their heads or attacking the new regulation in an official way, but experts warn that the DSA does not actually go back to the root of the problem.

Every minute, around 500 hours of video material is uploaded to YouTube alone and nearly 5 billion posts are published on Facebook every day, while 46% of teenagers have come across adult content on platforms that are not suitable for them. Filtering out the harmful elements of an unfathomable amount of content is thus practically a windmill battle, which can only be won if we deal with the issue at the level of the users – believes digital strategist Ágoston Hortobágyi.

4.8 billion people worldwide use social media, which accounts for nearly 60% of the Earth’s population and about 93% of all Internet users – so global tech companies really have an unfathomable influence on our everyday lives, whether it’s about our thinking, entertainment – or just about our consumption habits. It is no wonder that European decision-makers have been considering the regulation of online actors for a long time, which took the form of the Digital Services Act (DSA), which entered into force on August 25. By the way, the provision affects both small and large service providers operating in the online space with the aim of giving start-ups an opportunity against the tech giants, creating a more transparent and enforceable rule system throughout the EU for the protection of consumer and fundamental human rights, as well as put on gloves against the almost limitless spread of untrue and harmful content.