While certain measures that would have had a chilling effect on the digital economy were rejected, others were introduced.
Brussels, January 20, 2022 – The Developers Alliance has released a statement concerning today’s final vote, after yesterday’s plenary session in the European Parliament regarding the Digital Services Act adoption.
The Digital Services Act (DSA) is an update of the e-commerce Directive, setting the framework for managing online content and tackling illegal products, services, or content online. It sets additional obligations for large online platforms. The text voted on today will serve as Parliament’s negotiating position in the discussions with the Council of the EU, currently led by France, to reach an agreement on the final version of the regulation.
The European Parliament voted for significant amendments to the Commission proposals, such as:
-
…restrictions to personalized advertising (ban on targeted ads for minors and the use of sensitive data),
-
…prohibition of ‘dark patterns’,
-
…’neutral’ recommender systems,
-
…a broad “know-your-business-consumer” obligation, – compensation and redress for users,
-
…the right to use and pay for digital services anonymously
-
…particular attention to the freedom and pluralism of media in T&Cs.
-
…platform data disclosure to law enforcement and researchers.
Additionally, the Parliament also proposed further exceptions for small and medium businesses.
“The rejection of several disproportionate amendments is highly welcomed,” stated Karina Stan, Developers Alliance Director of EU Policy and Head of Brussels Office. “Other equally unbalanced amendments, however, were adopted and we remain concerned about the lack of clarity and complexity of the proposal, especially how certain provisions are supposed to be implemented. We’ll continue to provide our input to the lawmakers during the upcoming negotiations, looking forward to a balanced result, for the benefit of the EU’s digital economy.”
###
About The Developers Alliance
The Developers Alliance is the world’s leading advocate for software developers and the companies invested in their success. Alliance members include industry leaders in consumer, enterprise, industrial, and emerging software development, and a global network of more than 70,000 developers.