EU lawmakers back rules to curb Big Tech

The European Parliament connected Wednesday approved its connection for large EU authorities to enforce unprecedented restrictions connected however tech giants bash business.

Lawmakers overwhelmingly voted successful favour of their mentation of the Digital Markets Act, aimed astatine slapping far-reaching rules connected behemoths similar Meta/Facebook, Alphabet/Google, Amazon, Apple and Microsoft.

The landmark authorities should springiness the EU unprecedented powers to enactment rapidly against these tech "gatekeepers" and enforce a strict database of Do's and Don'ts connected their astir ascendant platforms.

The last law, on with the companion Digital Services Act regulating online content, volition beryllium thrashed retired with EU subordinate states successful the coming months successful the anticipation of completing negotiations connected a last instrumentality adjacent year.

A cardinal parliamentary committee approved its connection for the Digital Service Act connected Tuesday and it is acceptable to beryllium voted connected by each lawmakers successful January.

Big tech companies and different interests are lobbying furiously to power the last result for the laws, and subordinate states volition measurement successful until the extremity with their ain nationalist priorities.

The negotiations with MEPs volition beryllium presided by France, which has made delivering the caller rules into instrumentality a large precedence of its six-month EU presidency that begins connected January 1.

In detail, the parliament's mentation strengthened the proposals enactment guardant by the EU's enforcement and agreed by subordinate states, including pushing for interoperability betwixt antithetic messenging services.

It besides looks to beef up the powers of nationalist contention authorities, with cardinal subordinate states Germany and France anxious to not permission each the powerfulness to the European Commission successful Brussels.

The European Consumer Organisation said the connection would "give consumers a greater stock of the benefits of integer services" and called connected subordinate states to instrumentality to the changes made by lawmakers.

"For example, the Parliament's amendments would springiness consumers much prime implicit which societal networks and instant messaging services they usage and forestall tech giants from utilizing 'dark patterns' to distort consumers' choices," it said successful a statement.

"It is important the EU sets the modular to the remainder of satellite by making definite the integer system works to the payment of consumers alternatively than to the exclusive payment of the tech giants," it said.

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© 2021 AFP