Tech Firms To Police Platforms As EU Brings Massive Crackdown On Hate-Speech, Disinformation

Meta, the parent company of tech giants like Google and Facebook, would have to strictly monitor its platforms to better protect European users from hate speech, disinformation, and other harmful content online under the landmark European Union legislation approved on Saturday. The Union officials clinched the agreement in principle with the Digital Services Act after lengthy final negotiations began on Friday. The digital services act encompasses one-half of the digital rulebook of the European Union. It cements the bloc's reputation as the global leader in efforts to crack down on social media.

Accountability For The Risks Involved

Thierry Breton, the EU Internal Commissioner, said that with DSA, the time of big companies which act like they are too big to care is coming to an end. EU Commission Vice President Margrethe Vestager added that "with today's agreement, we ensure that platforms are held accountable for the risks their services can pose to society and citizens, Business Standard reported. The recent act is the third law from the EU to keep a check on tech giants, which is in stark contrast with the United States, where the lobbyists ensure that the interests of Silicon Valley largely succeed.

The European Union's law entrusts the commission with supervising massive platforms, including the possibility to impose effective and dissuasive sanctions of up to 6 per cent of global turnover or even a ban on operating in the EU single market due to repeated breaches, Breton mentioned. Even though the EU Parliament and member states tentatively nodded at the agreement, it still needs to be officially rubber-stamped. The DSA is the first significant step to standardising the algorithm systems in digital media marketing.

Social Media Related Issues In India

Several social networking sites have failed miserably to check hate speech and misinformation on their platforms. For instance, Facebook in India has been selective in curbing disinformation, especially the anti-muslim content, thus adding fuel to the increasing communal tensions in India. The so-called Facebook Papers, leaked by whistleblower Frances Haugen, show that the company has been aware of the issues arising because of hate speech and wrong information, raising questions over whether it has done enough to address these issues.

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