Digital Services Act takes effect for large online platforms
Today the Digital Services Act (DSA)
[https://commission.europa.eu/strategy-and-policy/priorities-2019-2024/europe-fit-digital-age/digital-services-act-ensuring-safe-and-accountable-online-environment_en]
comes into force for large online platforms, including Amazon, Google
and TikTok.

From now on, 19 platforms and search engines with at least 45 million
users
[https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_23_2413]
will have to comply with the DSA rules concerning data collection,
privacy, disinformation, online hate speech and more. The law aims to
give users of those platforms, including minors, more rights and
influence over their accounts and ensure a high level of privacy and
security.

What are the new obligations? The large online platforms will have to
identify, analyse and mitigate a wide array of systemic risks, ranging
from how disinformation can be amplified on their services, to the
impact on the freedom of speech. They are also obliged to carry out
their first annual risk assessment and share it with the European
Commission.

In terms of data protection, the DSA introduces two new restrictions
concerning targeted advertising. First, it bans targeted advertising
of minors based on profiling. Second, it bans targeted advertising
using special categories of personal data, such as sexual orientation
or religion.

What’s more, to increase transparency and accountability, the large
platforms will have to give access to publicly available data to
vetted researchers
[https://ec.europa.eu/info/law/better-regulation/have-your-say/initiatives/13817-Delegated-Regulation-on-data-access-provided-for-in-the-Digital-Services-Act_en].
The European Commission will further specify the conditions for
sharing of data and the purposes for which the data may be used.

Would you like to know more about the DSA? Read the DSA fact page
[https://commission.europa.eu/strategy-and-policy/priorities-2019-2024/europe-fit-digital-age/digital-services-act-ensuring-safe-and-accountable-online-environment_en]
or check out the Q&A sheet
[https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/QANDA_20_2348].

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Publication Date/Time
2023-08-25T12:05:00+00:00
Creating a safer digital space with new rules on privacy, security and
data sharing