The Digital Services Act (DSA) proposal, debated in the plenary, on Wednesday, aims to create a safer digital space in which users’ rights are protected, including through rules to tackle illegal products, services or content online, enhance the accountability and transparency of algorithms, and deal with content moderation. On Thursday, MEPs adopted a set of measures with 530 votes to 78, with 80 abstentions.

statement

debate

digital services act (T)

Digital Services Act: extracts from the debate, results of the vote, statement by Christel SCHALDEMOSE (S&D,DK), rapporteur

https://api.multimedia.europarl.europa.eu/documents/20125/7187715/1642693938152_I216914Chapters%5BSD-EN%5D.srt

SOUNDBITE (Danish), Christel SCHALDEMOSE (S&amp;D, DK), Rapporteur, Illegal products and illegal content have proliferated. Online algorithms have fostered division and recommender systems have destroyed young people's self-esteem. On the one hand, the digital realm has brought us closer together, reduced distances, but on the other hand, it has dug deeper trenches between us. 

SOUNDBITE (Danish), Christel SCHALDEMOSE (S&amp;D, DK), Rapporteur, As easy as it is to Click and drop an item into your virtual basket, it can still be just as difficult to get hold of the seller should you experience any problems. And that's why we need strong legislation, legislation that ensures that from here on in whatever is illegal offline will also be illegal online. 

SOUNDBITE (Danish), Christel SCHALDEMOSE (S&amp;D, DK), Rapporteur, we propose that consumers and users should be able to turn to intermediary services through was just one single point of contact. This will give social media users a better chance to get in touch with get in touch sorry with services if their content is removed or if their account is blocked. And at the same time, it will allow consumers who have unwittingly bought an illegal or harmful product online to get in touch with the online marketplace and not just to an automated chat. 

SOUNDBITE (Danish), Christel SCHALDEMOSE (S&amp;D, DK), Rapporteur, No more targeted advertising to minors. Online minors data must not be harvested and must not be used for commercial purposes. We're putting a stop to that at the same time, it will be easier for everyone to withdraw their consent to targeted advertising. 

SOUNDBITE (Danish), Christel SCHALDEMOSE (S&amp;D, DK), Rapporteur, And finally, dark patterns will be banned. No more designing a dialogue box that are user's choice will be steered in a particular direction

SOUNDBITE (Danish), Christel SCHALDEMOSE (S&amp;D, DK), Rapporteur, We would like to ensure that if there is an algorithm that promotes eating disorders or self-harm, well, the platform must take action, must remedy that problem straight away. 

SOUNDBITE (English), Margrethe VESTAGER, Executive Vice-President of the EC in charge of Europe fit for the Digital Age, Making the Internet safer for everyone who is there protecting each and every one of us from illegal content, including, of course, unsafe or on authorised products while securing the freedom of expression online. And this means that is not just a slogan to say what illegal offline should also be illegal online.

SOUNDBITE (French), Thierry BRETON, European Commissioner for Internal Market, We're proposing, first and foremost, clear rules to remove everything which is illicit online, whether we be talking products or content with a simple principle which was recalled here. Everything which is banned offline should be banned online as well. New requirements also for the major platforms based on risk in order to avoid abuse.

SOUNDBITE (French), Thierry BRETON, European Commissioner for Internal Market, Europe is the leading and the first continent in the world to organise this type of situation with the DSA and DMA we're about to reorganise digital sphere in our large single market, both for societal aspects and also from the economic side, a new framework which could probably will become a reference for democracies the world over.

SOUNDBITE (English), Christel SCHALDEMOSE (S&amp;D, DK), Rapporteur, What we're trying to do is to make the DSA (Digital Services Act), you know, bring it into the 21st century and update the legislation so that we really can protect users and consumers online. This is exactly what we're doing in the DSA. We are giving users and consumers more rights. So it's become both more fair and more trustworthy. And we will also try to stop some of the very bad ways of doing business we see online.

SOUNDBITE (English), Christel SCHALDEMOSE (S&amp;D, DK), Rapporteur, We are opening up the black box of algorithms, you know, the thing that decides what you will see in your feed, etc.. So we're trying to do a lot of things that take back control all over the tech giants and bring the control back to citizens and to democracy.

SOUNDBITE (English), Christel SCHALDEMOSE (S&amp;D, DK), Rapporteur, Well, let me use the example of Frances Hogan, the whistleblower from Facebook. She told us that Instagram know that young ladies are feeling bad. You know, if they search on healthy food, they suddenly are in a rabbit hole with self injuries and anorexia and things like that. That's because of the algorithms and the recommender systems. And what we're trying to do is that we're now saying to the big platforms that they have to assess how their algorithms works and if they have a negative impact on the users, as we saw for young ladies, then they had to adjust the algorithms so they don't have that negative impact.

SOUNDBITE (English), Christel SCHALDEMOSE (S&amp;D, DK), Rapporteur, We will enter into negotiations with the council, with the French presidency. And I do expect that we have a deal very fast. The French presidency is wanting to have that, and I think that makes sense. So before the summer, we have a new legislation. And I think that's really, really great. We need to speed up the process. We need to do what we can to protect users of the platforms.