EU regulators seek feedback ahead of new tough tech rules
20/05/2020 18:19
* Regulators want to know what makes an online gatekeeper
* Online platforms' liability for illegal content in
spotlight
* Questionnaire looks into situation of gig economy workers
By Foo Yun Chee
BRUSSELS, May 20 (Reuters) - EU regulators are seeking
feedback from users and digital service providers before
drafting rules that could rein in Google GOOGL.O , Facebook
FB.O , Amazon AMZN.O , Uber UBER.N and other tech companies,
an EU document seen by Reuters showed.
A 43-page questionnaire to be sent to members of the public,
digital services providers and EU governments in coming weeks
covers topics such as the power of "gatekeepers", online
platforms' liability for illegal or harmful content, gig economy
workers and transparency around online advertising.
The feedback will guide the European Commission's digital
unit in drafting the Digital Services Act to replace the
two-decade old e-commerce directive which governs online
services in the 27-country bloc.
Respondents will be asked what they consider makes a company
a gatekeeper, with options including a having large user base or
holding a trove of data, market share in terms of turnover or
how hard it is for users to switch to a rival.
The new act also seeks to define online platforms'
responsibility and whether they should be more proactive in
removing illegal or harmful content and products.
The document shows EU regulators are considering whether all
online platforms, or only larger ones or those at particular
risk of exposure to illegal activities by their users, should be
subjected to take-down notices, and how prescriptive these
should be.
Tech companies have said it is not fair and not technically
feasible for them to police the internet. The current e-commerce
directive says intermediary service providers play a technical,
automatic and passive role.
The questionnaire, which was first reported on by the
Financial Times, also asks if there is a need to improve the pay
and working conditions of gig economy workers who offer their
services through digital platforms.
(Reporting by Foo Yun Chee; Editing by Kirsten Donovan)
((foo.yunchee@thomsonreuters.com; +32 2 287 6844; Reuters
Messaging: foo.yunchee.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net))