Internet News

About 20 internet giants now have to comply with new EU internet censorship rules. Under the EU Digital Services Act (DSA) rule-breakers can face big fines of 6% of turnover and potentially suspension of the service.

The EU commission has named the very large online platforms that will form the first tranche of internet companies subjected to the new censorship regime. Those are sites with over 45 million EU users:

Alibaba, AliExpress, Amazon Store, the Apple App Store, Booking.com, Facebook, Google Play, Google Maps, Google Shopping, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Snapchat, TikTok, X (formerly Twitter), Wikipedia, YouTube and Zalando. Search engines Google and Bing will also be subject to the rules.

These websites will now have to assess potential risks they may cause, report that assessment and put in place measures to deal with the problem. This includes risks related to:

• illegal content
• rights, such as freedom of expression, media freedom, discrimination, consumer protection and children's rights public security and
• threats to electoral processes
• gender-based violence, public health wrong think, age restrictions, and mental and physical 'wellbeing'.

Targeted advertising based on profiling children is no longer permitted.

They must also share with regulators details of how their algorithms work. This could include those which decide what adverts users see, or which posts appear in their feed. And they are required to have systems for sharing data with independent researchers.

All though the law is targeted at the EU, of the companies have already made changes that will also affect users in the UK.

• Starting July TikTok stopped users in Europe aged 13-17 from being shown personalised advertising based on their online activity.
• Since February Meta apps including Facebook and Instagram have stopped showing users aged 13-17 worldwide advertising based on their activity to the apps.
• In Europe Facebook and Instagram gave users the option to view Stories and Reels only from people they follow, ranked in chronological order.
• In the UK and Europe Snapchat is also restricting personalised ads for users aged 13-17. It is also creating a library of adverts shown in the EU.

Retailers Zalando and Amazon have mounted legal action to contest their designation as a very large online platform. Amazon argues they are not the largest retailer in any of the EU countries where they operate.

Smaller tech services will be brought under the new censorhip regime next year.

Linda Yaccarino, CEO  of X, previously known as Twitter, has been speaking on TV about how the company will be censoring tweets.

During a CNBC interview, Yaccarino discussed the demarcation of duties between herself and ELon Musk, however, it is her stance on the website's content policies that has raised eyebrows.

In clarifying X's approach to moderation, Yaccarino introduced the concept of freedom of speech, not freedom of reach, a policy where users, when posting narratives that are not in line with approved speech, are labeled, possibly demonetized for that content, and have their visibility reduced on the platform.

She remarked: If it is lawful but it's awful, it's extraordinarily difficult for you to see it. insinuating that even legally permissible content might be obscured if deemed undesirable by the company.

The decisions and comments made by Yaccarino might seem like a strict stance against divisive or hurtful rhetoric but critics may see it as an alarming move away from the ethos of open dialogue and free speech.

Arkansas recently passed the Social Media Safety Act , which requires every person to verify their age before they can access existing social media accounts or create new ones. If a user cannot show they are at least 18 years old using a commercially reasonable age verification method -- potentially including biometric screening or requiring government-issued ID -- the law requires them to obtain parental consent to use social media.

If allowed to go into effect, the Arkansas law would prohibit users from accessing social media anonymously or under a pen name. Age verification requirements can deter even adults from engaging on social media because they worry about sharing additional personal data with social media companies, which could misuse the information or get hacked. And those who don't have government-issued identification -- undocumented immigrants, for example -- might be unable to access social media at all. Additionally, the parental consent requirement violates kids' rights to speak and receive information as well as adults' right to hear what they have to say.

The American Civil Liberties Union is challenging the law saying:

We urge the Western District of Arkansas to protect adults' and kids' right to access social media. We all have the right to speak and read about everything from upcoming protests to violin tips to challenging Arkansas' law.

Meanwhile Pornhab as responded to the new law by blocking all access from IP addresses associated with Arkansas.

The Arkansas law, SB 66, doesn't ban Pornhub from operating in the state, but it requires porn sites to verify that a user is 18 by confirming their age with identifying documents. Pornhub blocked all traffic from IP addresses based in Arkansas in protest, arguing that the law, which was intended to protect children, actually harms users. The blocked website currently just displays a message explaining the actions:

While safety and compliance are at the forefront of our mission, giving your ID card every time you want to visit an adult platform is not the most effective solution for protecting our users, and in fact, will put children and your privacy at risk.