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Through its Digital Services Act (DSA), the European Commission has already put into operation arguably the most ambitious manifestation yet of this grand coalition between government and business. The DSA imposes a legal requirement on very large online platforms (VLOPs) and very large online search engines (VLOSEs) to rapidly remove illegal content and take action against hate speech, dis- or misinformation if it is deemed to have “actual or foreseeable negative effects on civic discourse and electoral processes, and public security” and/or “actual or foreseeable negative effects in relation to gender-based violence, the protection of public health and minors and serious negative consequences to the person’s physical and mental well-being.”
Besides take-downs, other tools at governments’ disposal include de-monetisation and de-ranking. The European Commission has primary, but not exclusive, regulatory responsibility for VLOPs and VLOSEs. In a few weeks’ time, the same requirements will apply to all other online service providers, though responsibility for execution and enforcement will lie with national authorities.
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EU's Digital Services Act Poses Existential Threat to Freedom of Speech in Europe, Warns Retired German Judge | naked capitalism
"This legislation... is a Trojan horse: it presents a facade of respecting democratic principles... But behind this liberal facade, the exact opposite is happening: an attack is taking place against the constitutional order."