EU agrees rules to force big tech to rein in illegal content or face huge fines

Large online platforms including Facebook, Google and Twitter will have to do more to tackle illegal content or face multibillion euro fines under a new European Union regulatory regime agreed on Saturday.

The new rules, which come into force in 2024, include:

Banning advertising aimed at children or based on sensitive data such as religion, gender, race and political opinions.

Allowing EU governments to request removal of illegal content, including material that promotes terrorism, child sexual abuse, hate speech and commercial scams.

Online marketplaces like Amazon will need similar systems for suspect products, such as counterfeit sneakers or unsafe toys.

The DSA has been drawn up against a backdrop of political and regulatory action against online platforms around the world. The UK is introducing the online safety bill, which imposes a duty of care on tech firms to shelter users from harmful content, while in the US, the Justice Department and Federal Trade Commission has filed antitrust actions against Google and Facebook.

Last month, she won backing from the 27-country bloc and EU parliament for landmark rules called the Digital Markets Act that could force Google, Amazon, Apple, Meta and Microsoft to change their core business practices in Europe.

The companies could be forced to hand over data related to their algorithms to regulators and researchers. The companies also face a yearly fee of up to 0.05% of worldwide annual revenue to cover the costs of monitoring their compliance.