Investigating Online Child Protection: EU Takes Action with Meta and Snap!
The European Union has expanded its investigation into tech companies to ensure their compliance with a new law aimed at preventing illegal content on the internet. The European Commission has officially requested information from Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, and Snap, the operator of the Snapchat app, regarding the steps they have taken to safeguard minors online. Both companies are required to respond by December 1.
The investigations are only the beginning stage in accordance with the EU Digital Services Act, which entered into force in August, and they are not in themselves evidence of a violation of the law or a move to punish companies.
On Thursday, the commission launched similar investigations into YouTube and TikTok to also see what measures they have in place to protect minors from illegal and harmful content.
The DSA also prohibits targeted advertising to minors aged 17 and under.
If any platform is found to be in violation of the DSA, it faces fines of up to six percent of global turnover.
The EU has also launched other investigations into TikTok, X (formerly Twitter) and Meta for disinformation following the October 7 Hamas attack in Israel.
And it is investigating AliExpress, an online retailer owned by China’s Alibaba, to learn more about what it is doing to protect consumers from the sale of illegal products, including counterfeit drugs.
DSA is part of the European Union’s powerful arsenal that brings great technology to the fore.
TikTok and YouTube are also among the 22 services listed by the EU in September as facing tougher restrictions under the DSA’s sister law, the Digital Markets Act (DMA). Companies must fully comply with the DMA by March 2024.
