MEPs of the Committee on the Internal Market held an introductory discussion on Monday 11 January on the proposals for the internet Regulation, the Digital Services Act (DSA) and the Digital Market Act (DMA) (see EUROPE 12623/1). Inevitably, they referred to the invasion of Capitol Hill in the United States by Donald Trump supporters and the recent eviction of the US President from social networks to demand strict and democratic rules in the European Union.
The silence unilaterally imposed on the American President in the digital world has been criticised by many personalities across Europe. The German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, considered the measure “problematic” and the French Minister of the Economy, Bruno Le Maire, recalled that “the sovereign people”, “the States” and “justice” are solely legitimate to establish “the Regulation of the digital giants”.
In an op-ed published on Sunday in Politico, Commissioner for the Internal Market Thierry Breton expressed his perplexity. “This is not only a confirmation of the power of these platforms. It also shows deep weaknesses in the organisation of our society in the digital space”, he said, stressing that the DSA and DMA proposals should pave the way for a new global approach.
“I believe that if the DSA Regulation had been in place [before the Capitol Hill episode, editor’s note], the platforms would have acted earlier, with greater public scrutiny, more consistency, and would have protected freedoms more effectively, including by providing information to the legal authorities in a timely manner”, the head of unit in charge of this case at the Commission, Prabhat Agarwal, told MEPs.
A number of concerns remain
During the debate in the European Parliament, MEPs expressed several concerns, as did Czech MEP Dita Charanzová (Renew Europe), denouncing a weakening of the country of origin principle.
“We think the proposal strengthens and does not modify the country of origin principle: it is the country of establishment that has the enforcement power. It is the board that comes together in an advisory function. And only in very specific circumstances, there are some audits possible for national authorities across borders”, replied Prabhat Agarwal.
On the question of ‘trusted flaggers’, the Commission representative indicated that this was a privilege that could be given or taken away. This was in response to the concern expressed by Arba Kokalari (EPP, Sweden) that this status could lead to “certain types of content being disproportionately controlled and removed”.
Finally, on the absence of a ban on microtargeting advertising, denounced by Martin Schirdewan (GUE/NGL, Germany), Prabhat Agarwal acknowledged that the advertising model could act as an amplifier and accelerator for the viral spreading of content. However, this was not enough to prohibit the practice, he said.
Another debate on the Digital Market Act (DMA) was still ongoing in the Parliament’s Committee on the Internal Market at the time of publishing. (Original version in French by Sophie Petitjean)