Are some social media a wolf in disguise?

When social media platforms were launched, they were celebrated as a "refreshing" form of interaction, providing an easy, fun and engaging way to stay in touch with university peers, friends, colleagues and family. 

Some platforms, particularly popular among the younger generation, gained immense popularity due to their short videos featuring catchy music, dancing routines, and visually appealing effects. 

“The era of candidness has come to an end”

 However, the once-candid reputation of platforms has been tarnished by a number of controversies, including but not limited to: 

-        Deadly challenges

-        Cyberbullying

-        Disinformation, notably from Russia

-        Manipulation of elections

-        Promotion of eating disorder habits

-        Data leaks

-        Use of the platform for spying on reporters

Research indicates that it only takes a few seconds for a (young) user to come across problematic content on certain platforms.  

Some have described platforms as a "wolf in sheep's clothing", due to their dangers behind seemingly fun and harmless features. 

“A geopolitical challenge”

 Additionally, some platforms collect data from European users and then send it outside of Europe, which raises serious geopolitical issues. 

One of the most significant concerns is that the data collected by these platforms may be used for political or economic gain by other countries. 

This could include the use of data for targeted advertising or political manipulation, which could have a significant impact on the political landscape of our continent. 

Additionally, the sending of data outside of Europe also raises concerns about the protection of personal information, as different continents have different regulations and values regarding data privacy. 

“With younger audiences comes greater responsibility”

With millions of young users in Europe, social media platforms have a special responsibility to ensure that their content is safe – for all of us, but in particular our youth.  

With younger audiences comes greater responsibility. 

With this in mind, I have always conveyed a strong and yet simple message to the social media platform CEOs I am meeting: everyone is welcome to do business in Europe – provided they respect our rules. All our rules. 

This includes legislation on data protection, copyright and online platforms – notably the Digital Services Act (DSA) which will create a safer digital space for all European users, especially for the younger ones. 

I wanted to remind you of the imminent next steps and the process that online platforms will have to strictly follow in the coming months. 

By 17 February 2023 at the latest, platforms will have to report the number of their active end users in the EU.

Shortly after that, my team within the EU Commission will designate online platforms with over 45 million users in the EU as “Very Large Online Platforms” (VLOPs). 

4 months after their designation and at the latest by 1 September, Very Large Online Platforms will have to: 

·     make a mandatory proactive assessment of the risks their services may pose to society, including negative effects on minors, public health, physical and mental well-being 

·     put in place effective measures to ensure a high level of privacy, safety, and security of minors 

·     fulfill a number of due diligence obligations aiming to protect users and their fundamental rights online 

However, there is no time to lose. I strongly encourage platforms to fully comply well ahead of 1 September 2023. 

“We will not hesitate to impose strict sanctions”

If they don’t comply with all of their DSA obligations, Very Large Online Platforms could face: 

·     fines of up to 6% of their global turnover 

·     enhanced supervision and the requirement to terminate or remedy the breach  

·     a temporary ban of their services in the EU in case of repeated serious breaches threatening the life or safety of people 

We will not hesitate to impose these sanctions if necessary. 

I am often asked if Europe should ban some specific non-EU platforms, given the controversies surrounding them and the current geopolitical climate.  

In Europe, we value and prioritise the protection of fundamental rights, offline as well as online.  

We do not arbitrarily decide to ban any entities or platforms. Instead, we establish clear and strong regulations – a predictable framework that both users and platforms need. This includes dissuasive sanctions that we hope not to have to use – but unfortunately we cannot solely rely on good will.  

“Businesses are welcome in Europe only if they comply with our rules”

All businesses are welcome in Europe as long as they comply with our rules.

Given that some platforms have a particularly significant role in the lives of our younger citizens, we will be particularly vigilant in ensuring that they adhere to all relevant regulations and respect the rights of their users.