EU's new digital rulebook shifts power dynamics between platforms and regulators
Europe's sweeping regulations on digital platforms—enacted between 2022 and 2024—don't censor content but instead impose strict oversight duties on tech companies to protect democratic discourse. For platform operators and media companies, the shift means higher compliance costs but also clearer expectations about their role in safeguarding information integrity.
Originaltitel: European approaches to disinformation and public discourse: The policy framework to regulate the digital platform environment
<p>In this chapter, I introduce the reasons for and the challenges of creating a framework regulation for digital service providers in the EU. I analyse the rules passed in 2022–2024, including the Digital Markets Act, the Digital Services Act, the Code of Practice on Disinformation, and the European Media Freedom Act’s rules on the relationship between digital platforms and media. I point out that this complex set of rules is aimed at creating and fostering a diverse information environment rather than directly regulating content. Instead of curtailing the privileges of the platforms, the law furnishes them with more responsibility and the expectation to exert due diligence to preserve the values of democracy and fundamental rights.</p>