The European Union (EU) lawmakers have voted in favour of a law that toughens content moderation rules for Big Tech platforms when dealing with media outlets.
The development arrives after various news organisations raised objections to “arbitrary” removal of their content by leading social media platforms, including Google and Facebook. The lawmakers backed the draft rules for the Media Freedom Act in a vote on Tuesday, which requires social media platforms to keep news content available online for at least 24 hours before removing or restricting it if violates their content moderation policies.
As a result, tech companies will be required to inform news outlets in advance about any planned suspension of their content. The requirement targets platforms with more than 45 million active monthly users and is aimed at making the process of content removal transparent and responsible. The lawmakers say protection of media freedom and pluralism is essential for media services.
Tech firms have also been urged to explain their suspension of news content to outlets “as soon as possible” and how it violates their terms and conditions. Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) support the law to “strengthen the transparency and independence of the media across the EU, they say in a press release.
“To ensure that content moderation decisions by very large online platforms do not negatively affect media freedom, MEPs call for the creation of a mechanism to manage content takedown orders,” the statement reads. “According to MEPs, platforms should first process declarations to distinguish independent media from non-independent sources.”
Outlets will have 24 hours to respond to a platform’s notification regarding its contentious content. If the outlet concerned fails to company with the terms and condition after the deadline has passed, the platform may go ahead with deleting or restricting the flagged content. The case can also be referred to national regulators for a final decision.
“However, if the media provider considers that the platform’s decision does not have sufficient grounds and undermines media freedom, they have right to bring the case to an out-of-court dispute settlement body,” according to the statement.
On the other hand, the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA), which came into effect in August, also lays out stricter restrictions on Big Tech platforms regarding user safety, privacy, transparency and content moderation. Violations may lead to financial penalties amounting to up to six per cent of a company’s global turnover and a permanent ban in case of repeated offences. The DSA obligates online platforms to prevent the spread of potentially harmful and illegal content, particularly child sexual abuse material.
