A senior EU official denied a softer approach to big tech companies, citing a “very clear legal basis” for regulators and pointing to several ongoing investigations into the likes of the social media platform. X and dead.
foot I mentioned Earlier this week the European Union was reevaluating investigations into it apple, Google And Meta – a process that could ultimately lead to the European Commission, the EU's executive arm, scaling back or changing the focus of its investigations.
However, speaking to CNBC on Thursday, Hina Virkonen, the European Commission's Executive Vice President for Technology Sovereignty, responded.
“We have our own digital service law that came into effect just over a year ago, and there are several formal actions underway against all the big platforms: Meta, Instagram and Facebook, as well as on X and X.” “With TikTok,” Virkkonen said.
She added: “We are continuing to work, so no new decisions have been made. So we are conducting investigations (to see) whether they are adhering to our rules.”
the Digital Services Law Or DSA, which comes into full effect in 2024, gives EU institutions the power to regulate big tech companies in an effort to prevent illegal and harmful online activity, and clamp down on disinformation.
But despite these new powers, there are growing questions about how the EU will actually enforce the rules, especially in the wake of President-elect Donald Trump's return to the White House.
“It remains to be seen what the EU will do, as some investigations have gone further than others, but it is also clear that US tech companies will try to use the Trump administration to roll back EU rules,” said senior analyst Dexter Thelen. The Economist Intelligence Unit told CNBC.
It comes as Technology industry Attempts to comfortable For Trump before his second term as president. Elon Musk of Tesla, Jeff Bezos of Amazon, and Zuckerberg will do so Attending Trump's inauguration Next week, according to NBC News.
Meanwhile, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg last week called on the next US president to consider the EU's approach to big tech companies, saying the way the bloc enforces competition rules is “almost like a tariff”.
EU official Virkkonen is one of a new team of politicians who began their work as members of the EU's executive arm in December. To date, the European Union is a leader in technology regulation, and has opened the door to numerous investigations into the behavior of big tech companies.
When asked if she was considering a softer approach to the sector, Virkkonen said: “We have a very clear legal basis and regulatory rules in Europe, and of course, we are now fully implementing these rules.”
Virkkonen did not say whether she felt pressure as a result of Trump's return to the White House. Instead, she added, “all companies, whether American, European or Chinese, must respect EU regulations.”
Investigation X
In December 2023, Musk's X was unveiled Hit with the first EU investigation Under the Digital Services Law. The European Commission is Evaluate whether X It violated its obligations to transparency and its duties to confront illegal content.
At the time, the organization said it was specifically evaluating areas related to risk management, content moderation, dark patterns, advertising transparency, and data access for researchers.
The musk also continues Prosecution of the extreme right before the elections in Germany – Including hosting a Live discussion With AfD leader Alice Weidel – There are questions about whether the European Commission will hold this conversation as part of the investigation.
“It's not about Elon Musk. It's about X,” Virkkonen said.
“X is a very big online platform, and they have to take their responsibilities, and they have to assess and mitigate the risks, for example, what they publish for electoral processes and civil discourse. But (the European Commission) said: ‘We are already investigating X about this, and the scope of The investigation is already very large,” she said, adding that we are “monitoring all the time” in case there are new developments.
