Latest news and stories about digital services act in Portugal for expats and residents.
The accusations were made under the Digital Services Act, which requires large technology companies to take more measures to combat illegal and harmful content on their platforms.
The European Commission has threatened to fine Meta for failing to effectively prevent children under 13 from accessing Facebook and Instagram, citing ineffective age verification mechanisms. The Commission's preliminary findings suggest Meta is in breach of the Digital Services Act, as current measures do not adequately identify, assess, or mitigate risks to minors. Meta now has the opportunity to respond to these findings; failure to address the concerns could result in fines of up to 6% of the company's total annual global turnover.
The European Commission states it has preliminarily concluded that the social networks Facebook and Instagram “violate the Digital Services Act”
The European Commission considers age control mechanisms to be ineffective.
The activities of the e-commerce platform Shein were not suspended by the French courts this Thursday, contrary to the executive's demand following the discovery of products associated with the sexual abuse of minors, which have since been removed. The decision was confirmed by the Paris Court of Appeal, which ruled that the harm justifying state action no longer existed, according to Agence France-Presse (AFP). The court argued that ISSL, the company managing the platform, reacted promptly to remove the disputed products and implemented control measures for its products and sellers. Consequently, it noted that a total block of the platform would be disproportionate and harmful to the freedom of business initiative. However, the court upheld the first-instance decision to maintain the ban on selling legal adult pornographic products without age verification. The discovery of sex dolls resembling young girls, category A weapons, and prohibited medicines on the platform had led France to request a radical measure: blocking the giant's website and conditioning its reopening on strict requirements. The group, founded in China and based in Singapore, voluntarily blocked its entire French marketplace to conduct a full audit and correct flaws before progressively reopening earlier this year. In February, the European Commission also launched a formal procedure under the Digital Services Act regarding the platform's alleged addictive design, lack of transparency in recommendation systems, and the sale of illegal items. Shein stated it is cooperating fully with the European Commission, has strengthened protection for younger users, and is implementing age verification mechanisms.
The case was brought by Dutch civil rights organisation Bits of Freedom, which accused Meta of breaching the European Digital Services Act.
The European Commission will, in this priority investigation, analyse more thoroughly whether X, together with Grok, fulfils its obligations under the Digital Services Act — in particular whether it prevents the dissemination of illegal content, addresses negative effects related to gender-based violence and serious adverse consequences, and whether it provides Brussels with the required “risk assessments”.
The European Commission has opened a new formal investigation into the social network X under the Digital Services Act (DSA), focusing on the integration of features from the Grok artificial intelligence (AI) system into the platform. In a statement on Monday, Brussels said it seeks to determine whether the company adequately assessed and mitigated the risks ...
Brussels could fine X 6 percent of its annual turnover, having already hit it with a €120 million sanction in December.
