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EU reveals plan to regulate Big Tech

bbc.com

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Re: EU reveals plan to regulate Big Tech

#4

Post by hpoe »

>" so would only come into force after the Brexit transition period has ended."

Well so this isn't going to do anything for 40 years.

> "Furthermore, the law specifies that local officials can send cross-border orders to make tech firms remove content or provide access to information, wherever their EU headquarter is based."

I feel that this is very open to abuse especially with this example provided

>"A commission spokesman gave the example of Amsterdam's local government being able to ask a service like Airbnb, which is based in Dublin, to remove a listing of a non-registered apartment and share details about a host suspected of not paying taxes."

I get the feeling although this law started with the right idea it is being used as an excuse for law enforcement to expand their reach, without actually helping people.

Re: EU reveals plan to regulate Big Tech

#5

Post by nannePOPI »

>"Likewise, all online stores must be able to trace traders selling goods via their platforms, in case they are offering counterfeit items or other illegal products." >"[It] will require online marketplaces to check their sellers' identity before they are allowed on the platform, which will make it so much more difficult for dodgy traders to do their business," commented Mr Breton.

I see, it's another "let's regulate the big by removing small players from the market". Of course, of course. Totally not another gift to the bigs masked by helping normal people.

Re: EU reveals plan to regulate Big Tech

#6

Post by Majestic121 »

A interesting point missing from the BBC article is that they have different levels of expectations between small to medium businesses and large ones, to avoid regulatory capture ? :

> Platforms that reach more than 10% of the EU's population (45 million users) are considered systemic in nature, and are subject not only to specific obligations to control their own risks, but also to a new oversight structure.

Another interesting tidbit is the answer to the common trope that 'private platform can act as they wish since they are private' :

> The Digital Markets Act addresses the negative consequences arising from certain behaviours by platforms acting as digital “gatekeepers” to the single market. ... This can grant them the power to act as private rule-makers and to function as bottlenecks between businesses and consumers.

The road is still long before ratification, but it looks like a step in the good direction.

Re: EU reveals plan to regulate Big Tech

#7

Post by throwaway894345 »

> The operators of online platforms - such as social media apps and video-sharing sites of any size - must prioritise complaints raised by "trusted flaggers", who have a track record of highlighting valid problems.

Who determines which problems are valid? Unless I overlooked something, this article seems really vague.

> Likewise, all online stores must be able to trace traders selling goods via their platforms, in case they are offering counterfeit items or other illegal products. "[It] will require online marketplaces to check their sellers' identity before they are allowed on the platform, which will make it so much more difficult for dodgy traders to do their business," commented Mr Breton.

I'm excited about the crackdown on counterfeit products, but I also wonder if it will raise the barrier of entry for sellers (if Amazon has to spend money to validate a given seller, why should they do business with smaller sellers?). Hopefully this authentication mechanism can be inexpensive such that it doesn't disenfranchise too much legitimate business at the small end of the spectrum; big players already enjoy tremendous regulatory advantages over smaller players--no need to compound it further.

> In addition, once a year they must publish a report into their handling of major risks, including users posting illegal content, disinformation that could sway elections, and the unjustified targeting of minority groups.

I'm really wary of "disinformation that could sway elections" and "unjustified targeting of minority groups"; how do you litigate these fairly? One person's "racial advocacy" is another person's "racial patronization". These seem super subjective and thus ripe for abuse. Hopefully this too is just a case of poor journalism and the legislation is better.

Re: EU reveals plan to regulate Big Tech

#8

Post by throwaway894345 »

Majestic121 wrote: post #6

A interesting point missing from the BBC article is that they have different levels of expectations between small to medium businesses and large ones, to avoid regulatory capture ? : > Platforms that reach more than 10% of the EU's population (45 million users) are considered systemic in nature, and are subject not only to specific obligations to control their own risks, but also to a new oversight structure. Another…

> A interesting point missing from the BBC article is that they have different levels of expectations between small to medium businesses and large ones, to avoid regulatory capture ? :

It's easy to overlook, but the BBC article does have this line:

> It introduces a sliding scale, under which firms take on more obligations the larger and more influential they are.

> Another interesting tidbit is the answer to the common trope that 'private platform can act as they wish since they are private' :

In the US we have a similar trope with respect to social media companies, that they don't have a responsibility to protect free speech because they are a private entity; however, they also argue that they aren't responsible when they curate illegal content.

EDIT: Wow, I didn't expect this to be a controversial or particularly unpopular comment. I wonder if downvoters could elaborate a bit on their objections?

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