Meta’s new rules on content moderation in the US do not apply to the EU.
advertisementThe European Union has been closely watching the decisions made by web giants in recent weeks.
The remarks of Elon Musk, the head of X, are causing a big stir in Europe.
And Meta’s new rules for content moderation in the United States are being questioned among 27 countries, despite being unaffected.
Mark Zuckerberg announced that he would replace fact-checking with “community reviews” on his Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram platforms. He says this is in the name of freedom of expression.
If Meta were tempted to change the rules of the game in Europe, it would first have to provide a risk assessment analysis to the European Commission.
“We don’t tell large online platforms what content moderation policy they should apply. That’s their responsibility. If they want to rely entirely on community ratings, they can do that. Now, whatever model the platform chooses, this possibility exists. Europe “It has to be effective,” said Thomas Regnier, spokesman for the coalition’s executive committee.
If a platform breaches the Digital Services Act (DSA), formal proceedings will be initiated.
If this results in a non-compliance decision and the platform still refuses to comply, the fines can be as high as 6% of the company’s annual global turnover.
Heavier sanctions possible in ‘extreme’ cases
This process has been criticized as being too slow. But the EU has other cards in its hands.
“There are other tools you can use in extreme cases, and I emphasize the extremes,” explains J. Scott Marcus, a researcher at the Center for European Policy Studies (CEPS), a think tank in Brussels.
“Take for example the sanctions against Russia, the steps taken to block Russia Today and Sputnik during the barbaric invasion of Ukraine. This was done as part of the sanctions regime implemented by the Council. Robert The Schumann Center professor added, “Foreign policy composition.”
The European Commission, German regulators and large digital platforms are scheduled to meet on January 24 to discuss regulating European platforms ahead of Germany’s early elections in February.
