An EU official announced that the European Union’s digital chief has invited companies like Alphabet, Apple, Amazon, and Facebook for video meetings next week. They will talk about the drafting of rules to curb the companies’ powers.
Tech companies and online platforms have lobbied very hard to try and make the proposed regulatory rules lenient or ineffective against the status quo.
The Internal Market Commissioner, Thierry Breton, is responsible for digital regulations and is expected to formally present the rules with Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager on December 9th.
Algorithms, do’s and don’ts
Before that happens, the video talks on November 24th will be about the proposed rules known as the Digital Services Act (DSA) and Digital Markets Act (DMA). Some companies do not think that discussion will lead to any changes in the current form of the rules, so late in the process.
The DSA will enforce the rule that tech companies have to explain how their algorithms work and open their ad archives to researchers and regulatory officials.
On the other hand, the DMA is aimed at the internet’s gatekeepers with a list of what they should do, including sharing data with rivals and regulators and things they should not do, like favoring their own services.
A long way to go
Breton has invited the CEOs of around 20 companies, including Trivago, Expedia, Microsoft, Booking.com, DuckDuckGo. It is not immediately clear if the CEOs will participate in the meeting or send senior executives as stand-ins.
Breton will want feedback from the European Parliament, and EU countries before a final draft of the DSA and DMA rules can be adopted. The entire process will take a while and may not be complete until a year or more from now.
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