BRUSSELS: Digital companies will have nowhere to hide after the EU’s landmark content law enters into full force from Saturday, with the risk of heavy fines for any violations.

The new rules, known as the Digital Services Act (DSA), kicked in last year for the world’s largest platforms, inclu­ding Facebook and TikTok, but will now apply to all except the smallest companies.

When the European Union proposed the law in 2020, the objective was simple: to tame the wild west online, where Brussels felt companies were not doing enough to block illegal content or acting sufficiently to protect consumers.

Brussels has already bared its teeth, showing the tech titans that it means business.

There have been a wave of probes launched by the European Commission to quiz the largest platforms on how they are addressing an array of concerns from consumer protection to children’s activity online.

So far, the EU has launched formal infringement proceedings against tech billionaire Elon Musk’s X, formerly Twitter, over “illegal content and disinformation”.

Punishment for violations of the DSA will be harsh.

Those that breach the rules could be fined up to six percent of their global annual turnover, or even banned in the EU for serious and repeated violations.

The EU will officially be able to hit companies with sanctions, including fines, for any violations from Saturday.

But leeping an eye on firms will be a duty split between the commission, with its team of more than 120 experts, and EU states.

Published in Dawn, February 17th, 2024