EU draws red lines for platforms such as Google & Facebook

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The European Union is doing all it can to bring some sanity into the online space in its region. The organization has been working on modalities to check the excesses of large technology companies. The likes of Google, Alphabet, Twitter, Apple and others are at the hub of the EU investigations. According to the EU, there are many fake contents and fake accounts on Google, Facebook, Twitter and other platforms. The European Union further confirms that if these companies do not solve this problem, they will face a fine. 

In a few hours, the EU will release a new document on disinformation. This document will come with the latest information from Europe. It will give directions on the conduct of digital platforms in a bid to combat disinformation. In 2018, the EU gave a voluntary code of conduct, and now it will become a joint regulatory scheme, with regulators and signatories sharing responsibility.

Companies could be fined up to 6% of their global turnover

The new code of conduct will be linked to the EU’s Digital Services Act, which was agreed to by 27 EU countries at the beginning of the year. Once the guidelines come into force, businesses may be fined up to 6% of their global turnover under the Digital Services Act (DSA) if they fail to meet the requirements of the guidelines. Once businesses sign up for the guidelines, they have 6 months to comply. Signatories must take steps to address ads containing false information and increase transparency in political advertising.

Recall that recently, a resolution from the European Parliament finally unifies the charging port for electronic devices in Europe. The resolution also unifies the charging standard and it will be effective from 2024. The EU agrees that the USB Type-C port will be the standard, a decision that is strongly against Apple. On Google’s end, it had to allow rivals to advertise on YouTube. Its actions is in response to the ongoing EU investigation.