The EU commissioner in charge of enforcing Europe’s new landmark rules on online content, Thierry Breton, is scheduled to visit San Francisco on Thursday to ensure that major platforms are prepared. This visit comes shortly before the European Union’s Digital Service Act (DSA) takes full effect for prominent platforms like Facebook, Instagram (both owned by Meta), TikTok, and Twitter.
During his two-day visit, Breton plans to meet with Mark Zuckerberg of Meta and Elon Musk, the owner of Twitter. Since Musk took ownership of Twitter, he has made several rule modifications regarding permissible language on the platform, sometimes contradicting the EU’s new regulations on hate speech and misinformation.
Additionally, Breton intends to meet with Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, as well as the CEO of Nvidia, an AI chipmaker. EU lawmakers are currently finalizing negotiations on the AI Act, another proposed European law that could significantly impact major US tech companies.
Breton stated, “I am the enforcer. I represent the law, which is the will of the state and the people,” underscoring his role in ensuring compliance with EU regulations.
In an effort to reassure European authorities, Musk has agreed to subject Twitter to a DSA “stress test” to determine if the platform meets EU standards, although the results will not be made public. Musk has expressed his intention to meet the demands of the DSA, but concerns arise due to Twitter’s reduced workforce and content moderation teams.
The DSA is one of the most ambitious legislative efforts to regulate online content since the rise of social media. It imposes substantial obligations on major platforms regarding the management of free speech. Similar to the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the DSA is expected to become a global standard as governments worldwide grapple with addressing the challenges posed by social media.
To comply with the new rules, platforms like Twitter, Meta, and TikTok will need to invest significantly in building compliance teams at a time when big tech companies have been reducing their workforce, including content moderation staff.
Under the DSA, 19 platforms have been designated as “Very Large Online Platforms” and will be subject to specific regulations starting from August 25, when the regulation comes into full force. The first enforcement action under the DSA will be closely observed as it may set an example for future cases. Platforms will face challenges with transparency requirements, as they will need to provide officials and researchers unprecedented access to their algorithms and content decisions.
Meta, in particular, will face challenges due to its limited data access for third parties following the Cambridge Analytica data breach scandal in 2018. Additionally, platforms such as Twitter and Reddit have restricted data access by charging high fees for API access, which was previously free.
The DSA includes numerous provisions, such as the requirement for platforms to designate an EU representative responsible for content matters. Users will also have enhanced rights to appeal takedown orders by platforms.
Significant violations of the DSA could result in fines up to six percent of annual turnover for tech giants, with the potential for an outright ban from the EU if violations persist.
