Giants like TikTok, TwitterApple Store and Amazon, among others, announced on Friday user figures in the European Union (EU) that force them to submit to the bloc’s new regulations on Internet surveillance.
All of those platforms announced user numbers in the. Union European The number of companies that have been subject to the strict measures provided for in the Digital Services Act (DSA), which came into force in November, is now more than 45 million.
That group was also joined by Google’s search units, Google Maps, YouTube, Facebook and Instagram.
Strict surveillance
According to LSD regulations, platforms with more than 45 million users must undergo annual audits and explain the measures taken to prevent illegal online content.
The Commission European (executive arm of the EU) can also order them to disclose and explain their algorithms or databases, something that these platforms generally keep under seven keys.
Potential fines for any “Very Large Online Platform” (VLOP) or “Very Large Online Search Engine” (VLOSE) in breach of the regulation can be up to 6% of their global annual revenue.
Platforms below the 45 million user threshold also have obligations, albeit of lesser stringency and appropriate to their size and scope.
Not all affected platforms are U.S.-based: TikTokChinese-owned TikTok, on Friday announced that it had 125 million active monthly users in the Union European.
Some of these network giants reacted with irritation to the introduction of the new rules and several merely indicated whether they were above the defined threshold, but without any precision.
Such was the case with Amazon and the Apple Store iOS app store, which were content to state that users of their services exceeded 45 million on a monthly basis.
EU wants specific numbers
Swedish music streaming site Spotify and UK-based OnlyFans – which streams sex worker content, among others – reported that they were below 45 million users.
So did U.S. dating app Tinder.
“We note with some concern that some platforms only published an estimate that they are below the threshold. This is not sufficient,” warned a spokesman for the commission, Johannes Bahrke.
“The rules are clear. A number is a number. We call on those platforms that have not yet done so to publish the numbers without delay,” he added.
The DML – which is accompanied by another law, on Digital Markets (DML) – introduced strict rules for digital giant companies to better protect EU consumers.
It aims to crack down on illegal online content, counter online sales of unsafe products, better protect minors and increase transparency about internet services.
It also controls the use of user data (AFP).
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