Hatred and hate speech have often gone unpunished online. Now the Digital Services Act comes into force to take better and faster action against illegal content. However, this also harbors the potential for political disputes.
It’s about nothing less than taking the stage out of hate on the internet, online or in social media. The EU law for digital services, the so-called Digital Services Act (DSA), should start right there. The member states had already agreed on this almost a year ago, and then an agreement was also reached with the European Parliament and the Commission.
This is important, emphasizes Margrethe Vestager, still EU Commissioner for Digital Affairs. You have to enforce this law now. Otherwise it’s worth nothing.
From now on, hatred and hate speech on the Internet should be deleted more quickly throughout the European Union. To do this, users must be able to report illegal content to online platforms so that it can also be tracked. What is illegal has to be taken off the internet.
But not only that: Providers must also report suspicious criminal activities to the authorities, such as the police. The regulations for large Internet platforms are particularly strict, and the EU calls them “gatekeepers”. These are those with at least 45 million users in the EU, they are also under special supervision.
Big providers need to keep an eye on content
According to the Brussels Commission, there are at least 17 providers, including Apple, Amazon, Google, TikTok and X, the former Twitter. Among other things, they must give special protection to minors, which is also aimed at child pornographic content. However, they must also assess the psychological consequences of Internet use in children or ensure that they are no longer targeted with advertising.
Overall, the “gatekeepers” should keep a close eye on what content they are distributing, ensure more transparency and there should be less disinformation. The EU Commission is demanding accountability for all of this.
Vestager explains that criteria and strategies are being developed together with NGOs and consumer protection organizations to monitor this. The point is that social media, despite enormous power and enormous influence, adhere to the rules that a democracy demands of them, emphasizes the EU Commissioner.
There are severe fines
This will mean significantly more work and much more effort for online providers, and for the Commission as well. Anyone who violates the European rules faces severe fines. However, when there is actually a violation, when something has to be deleted, and how high a penalty may be, must be decided on a case-by-case basis. If in doubt, go to court.
Which can mean that such disputes drag on. Nevertheless, from a Brussels perspective, the Digital Services Act is a decisive step towards a more transparent and hate-free Internet. Even if, especially in the European Parliament, some would have wished for stricter or clearer rules.
New conflict material for Europe
Among them is MP Patrick Breyer from the Pirate Party. “Under the Digital Services Act, it’s possible for a country to delete information that’s illegal only there but doesn’t pose a problem at all elsewhere.” And if in doubt, Europe-wide.
A problem, according to the parliamentarian, if, for example, Hungary wants to delete a video that critically deals with the government of Viktor Orban from the Internet throughout the EU. It is therefore possible that the DSA will bring new sources of conflict for Europe. But in Brussels it is said that a more hate-free, more humane and more democratic Internet is worth it.