During the plenary session held on Tuesday, 17 September, MEPs participated in a debate on the piece of European legislation on digital services (DSA) and, more specifically, its role in protecting democracy and freedom.
Outgoing European Commission Vice-President Margrethe Vestager opened the session with a quick reminder of the specific features of the DSA, stressing that it “does regulate [...] the responsibility of platforms” and that it “does not regulate [the legality of posted] content; it does not restrict free speech”.
She specified, “Since the entry into application of the rules for very large platforms, the Commission has focused on five high-priority areas”: the protection of minors, the fight against illegal content, the regulation of targeted advertising, the security of online marketplaces, and the mitigation of the risks associated with disinformation.
The next European Commission is expected to focus on three main objectives: intensifying the enforcement of the DSA, particularly with regard to protecting democracy; addressing challenges brought about by e-commerce platforms; and ensuring the protection of minors on the Internet.
For their part, MEPs expressed disparate views on the regulation. Andreas Schwab (EPP, German) and Arba Kokalari (EPP, Swedish) hailed [the DSA] as “a historic decision” but said that there was still a need to “speed up implementation” in order to act more quickly, given “how quickly things are developing”.
A number of MEPs from all sides stressed the importance of the DSA, citing as an example the riots in the United Kingdom this summer that were fuelled by social networks following the murder of three children in Southport.
For the ECR, however, the European Commission must be careful to not turn the DSA into an “instrument of abuse” against freedom of expression, even censorship.
Cypriot MEP and social network star Fidias Panayiotou, for his part, proposed encouraging platforms to create “organic fact-checking systems”, like Community Notes on X, in order to prevent censorship and let users “freely decide”.
By way of reminder, Margrethe Vestager stated in her conclusion, “This is the work of the Commission: no rogue companies putting mental health, democracy, or the integrity of our elections at stake”. (Original version in French by Isalia Stieffatre)