If you are not in the loop, the EU just passed both the Digital Services Act and the Digital Markets Act which will have an effect on laws within the US when it comes to technology and internet usage.
You can read more about it here if you want to know all the details these acts cover, but they mainly are focused on social platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok.
This “crackdown” on the internet and making it more of a safe space will, directly and indirectly, affect the US tech market as well as other countries.
Do you have any concerns? Should we be worried about the governments of the world getting more involved with the internet space?
I missed this one. This is major and far sweeping indeed. Here are some highlights i found here and here:
Where the EU leads, the rest of the world will follow. I would expect all of the following provisions of the EU’s legislation to become standard for the rest of the world eventually too, excluding perhaps China.
Targeted advertising based on an individuals’ religion, sexual orientation, or ethnicity is banned. Minors cannot be subject to targeted advertising either.
“Dark patterns” — confusing or deceptive user interfaces designed to steer users into making certain choices — will be prohibited. The EU says that, as a rule, canceling subscriptions should be as easy as signing up for them.
Large online platforms like Facebook will have to make the working of their recommender algorithms (e.g. used for sorting content on the News Feed or suggesting TV shows on Netflix) transparent to users. Users should also be offered a recommender system “not based on profiling.” In the case of
Instagram, for example, this would mean a chronological feed (as it introduced recently).
Hosting services and online platforms will have to explain clearly why they have removed illegal content, as well as give users the ability to appeal such takedowns. The DSA itself does not define what content is illegal, though, and leaves this up to individual countries.
The largest online platforms will have to provide key data to researchers to “provide more insight into how online risks evolve.”
Online marketplaces must keep basic information about traders on their platform to track down individuals selling illegal goods or services.
Large platforms will also have to introduce new strategies for dealing with misinformation during crises (a provision inspired by the recent invasion of Ukraine).
My first thoughts are this is a good thing. Especially for Facebook, Twitter etc.
Whatever the face value is, just know the governments are putting their little agendas throughout it. I am sure some good will come of it but plenty of bad is sure to follow. I for one have not taken any government seriously in a good 20 years now. They all seem more concerned with lining their own pockets and controlling what people do rather than giving us privacy and keeping the market fair. Time will tell!
One thing I would agree with is that it is not right for Tech companies to over-capture data ununethically for individuals. There must be security for the right of privacy for everyone and that is why data management must be standardized in the case of the GDPR(global data protection regulation). As long as that is adhered to then I have no problem with who gets to have access to our information.
But u still maintain that it is a very bad practice to always monitor the data consumption for general consumers by the licensed institution.
I hate being tracked.