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The European Parliament ratified landmark laws on Tuesday that will tighten regulation of Big Tech and curb illegal material online, as the EU seeks to bring order to the internet’s “Wild West.”
MEPs completed the following versions of the Digital Markets Act, which focuses on ending monopolistic practises by tech behemoths, and the Digital Services Act, which increases scrutiny and penalties for platforms that host prohibited content.
“With the legislative packet, the European Parliament has ushered in a new era of technology regulation,” said Andreas Schwab, a key supporter of the laws from Germany.
The DMA will have significant ramifications for Google, Meta, and Apple, the online “gatekeepers” who must now conduct business in accordance with a set of do’s and don’ts designed to ensure the survival of smaller competitors.
That text was approved with 588 votes in favour, 11 against, and 31 abstentions, demonstrating widespread fear of tech behemoths across the political spectrum.
The DSA will target a broader range of internet actors, with the goal of ensuring real consequences for companies that fail to control hate speech, disinformation, and images of child sexual abuse.
According to Danish, the digital world “has formed a bit like a western movie, there were no real laws of the game, but now there is a new sheriff in town.”
It was also easily passed, with 539 votes in favour, 54 opposed, and 30 abstentions.
Both laws must now be approved by the EU’s 27 member states, which should be a formality.
The legislations were subjected to lobbying from technology companies and heated debate over the scope of free speech.
The big question now is enforcement, with concerns that the European Commission, the EU’s executive arm in Brussels, lacks the resources to give its new powers teeth.
Thierry Breton, EU internal market commissioner, downplayed the issue, insisting that enforcement teams, working with national regulators, would be up to the task.
