New Digital Services Act (DSA) comes into force in Europe

29-08-23

As of today, 25 August, the Digital Services Act (DSA) comes into force. The major European regulation that implements a whole series of new obligations for large technology companies. These changes affect companies such as Google, Meta and TikTok, but also have a direct impact on users. 

It is time to comply with the new rules. Thierry Breton, European Union Commissioner, recalled that this new law comes into force today. The aim is to get these "big companies that impact our daily lives" to comply with the rules imposed by the EU. 

There is a whole series of measures, some of them only for the big platforms. Fighting disinformation, limitations on advertising, moderation of illegal content and transparency in algorithms. If they do not comply, these large companies can be fined up to 6% of their global annual revenue. 

The great European regulation of the digital world (DSA and DMA) is here: what it implies and how it will affect Internet users.

Instagram and Facebook are launching their chronological feed. A few days before the law comes into force, companies have been announcing various changes to adapt. One of the companies has been Meta, which explains that European users will have access to a new chronological feed, without the need to view content classified by its own recommendation algorithm. Also with Stories and Reels. 

This change is being introduced to meet the requirement for users of large online platforms to be able to remove personalised recommendations based on their activity tracking. 

TikTok was among the first to adapt. In early August, TikTok announced that it would also allow the app to be used without an algorithm. This means that instead of showing us videos based on our profile, it will be popular videos from around the area and around the world. 

Other changes that will be implemented include the possibility of reporting illegal content, more transparency in moderation and the elimination of personalised ads for minors. 

Google recalls that it has been implementing changes for years. One day before the entry into force, Google has published a report with the different changes that have been added in line with the DSA. Some of them are the changes in Youtube for the elimination of videos by mistake.

Newly, Google has updated its Transparency Centre to add details on how our data is used for ads.

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Big Tech has to lead the way. The DSA is now coming into force for large platforms, but from 17 February 2024 many of these obligations will also come into force for platforms with less than 45 million active users in Europe. By that date, member states will also be required to appoint a digital services coordinator, who will be responsible for reviewing compliance with the rules.