Digital Services Act final trilogue

The negotiations on the Digital Services Act are entering the final round. The final trilogue is scheduled for today (Friday, 22 April).

Alexandra Geese MEP, Greens/EFA shadow rapporteur in the Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection, comments:

"The Digital Services Act needs teeth, it needs to put surveillance advertising and manipulative practices of online platforms in their place. The chances are good that the Digital Services Act will become a constitution for the internet, curbing hate, polarisation and disinformation, strengthening the rights of users and holding online platforms to account as never before. We are starting the big tech revolution with a strong law on digital services in the EU.

“We will fight back with clear rules against the principle of dividing our society and the business of spreading fake news and hate comments. The Digital Services Act should seal the end of algorithms that make fear and hatred driven posts go viral. Civil society and academics need unhindered access to platform data for independent societal scrutiny of big tech so that the Digital Services Act can become a tool for social cohesion.

“Sensitive personal data such as religion, skin colour or sexual orientation, as well as data of children and young people, should no longer be allowed to be tracked and used for advertising purposes. The Digital Services Act can be the beginning of a digital spring and the first, decisive step towards more democracy and freedom on the internet." 

Kim van Sparrentak MEP, Greens/EFA member of the Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection, comments:

“The Digital Services Act must be about working towards a better internet and more power for individuals and freedom of expression online. The final negotiations will decide key issues of fundamental rights protection online and we will not stop fighting for a safer and fairer internet.

“We need the DSA to put the power over freedom of expression back in people’s hands, and out of Big Tech’s. That’s why the final text should include greater transparency around big tech’s algorithms. There must be clear procedures to stop platforms from arbitrarily deleting users' content and accounts. With the DSA, the EU is taking a bold step to ban the manipulation of users' choices online and to halt the collation of sensitive data regarding health, sexuality and political preference for the purpose of advertising.”