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Russia Today
03-07-2025
- Business
- Russia Today
Trump should ‘knock the f*** out' of EU disinfo law – ex-State Dept official
US President Donald Trump must urgently threaten to 'knock... the f out' of a new EU law on disinformation that obliges online platforms and search engines to restrict content deemed 'fake news' by the bloc, ex-State dept official Mike Benz has insisted. The formerly voluntary Code of Conduct on Disinformation, which was integrated into the Digital Services Act (DSA) by Brussels earlier this year, became mandatory as of July 1. Under the law, major online platforms and search engines, mostly owned by US tech firms, are obliged to follow EU content rules or face penalties. Benz, who worked on cybersecurity and internet policy at the State Department during Trump's first term, took to X on Wednesday to warn that the likes of YouTube, X, Facebook, and Google would 'now get whipped by huge EU fines.' The Code of Conduct on Disinformation, which he described as a 'Global Censorship Law,' had been the 'secret weapon' of Brussels for a long time, but is now 'fully unleashed,' the head of the self-described pro-free speech website Foundation For Freedom Online said. Trump must 'act urgently, top priority, to apply massive diplomatic, trade, aid and security muscle, every tool in the hardball diplomacy toolkit – up to and including our participation in NATO – to knock this law the f out,' he insisted. The ONLY way to stop it is for the Trump White House to ACT URGENTLY, TOP PRIORITY, to apply MASSIVE diplomatic, trade, aid & security muscle, every tool in the hardball diplomacy toolkit - up to and including our participation in NATO - to KNOCK THIS LAW THE F OUT. The disinformation code came into effect amid trade talks between Washington and Brussels, with Trump threatening to impose 50% tariffs on all imports from the EU if no deal is reached by the July 9 deadline. The European Commission's tech chief, Henna Virkkunen, said on Monday that content moderation and digital competition are 'not part of trade negotiations from our side' because they are 'based on our European values.'
Free Malaysia Today
27-05-2025
- Health
- Free Malaysia Today
EU investigates porn platforms over risks to children
Pornhub is one of four platforms being investigated by the EU. (Getty Images/AFP pic) BRUSSELS : The EU kickstarted an investigation today into four pornographic platforms over suspicions they are failing to stop children accessing adult content in breach of the bloc's mammoth digital content law. The European Commission said its investigations into Pornhub, Stripchat, XNXX and XVideos 'focus on the risks for the protection of minors, including those linked to the absence of effective age verification measures'. The commission, the European Union's tech regulator, accused the platforms of not having 'appropriate' age verification tools to prevent children from being exposed to porn. An AFP correspondent only had to click a button today stating they were older than 18 without any further checks to gain access to each of the four platforms. The commission found the four platforms did not have 'appropriate and proportionate measures to ensure a high level of privacy, safety and security for minors'. They also did not have the measures in place to prevent negative effects on children as well as users' mental and physical well-being, the commission said. 'Online platforms must ensure that the rights and best interests of children are central to the design and functioning of their services,' it added. The EU's Digital Services Act (DSA) forces the world's biggest tech companies to do more to protect European users online and has strict rules to safeguard children and ensure their privacy and security. Under the law, 'very large' online platforms with at least 45 million monthly active users in the EU have even greater obligations, and they are regulated by the commission rather than national authorities. Fearful over children's access to adult content, the commission said it will work with national authorities to make sure smaller porn platforms apply the same rules. 'Our priority is to protect minors and allow them to navigate safely online. Together with the digital service coordinators in the member states we are determined to tackle any potential harm to young online users,' EU digital tsar Henna Virkkunen said. Protecting children The EU also said it would remove Stripchat from the list of 'very large' platforms since it now had fewer than 45 million monthly active users on average, with its probe to focus on the period when it fell under its purview. Brussels stressed the launch of formal proceedings does not prejudge the investigation's outcome and there is no deadline for its completion. Violations, if proven however, risk fines of up to 6% of a firm's global turnover. Platforms found guilty of serious and repeated violations can also be banned from operating in Europe. The EU in parallel has invited the public including parents to help prepare guidelines for the protection of children online and is developing an age-verification app. The DSA, which has a wide remit, sits within the EU's powerful legal weaponry to regulate Big Tech. Brussels has launched a wave of probes under the DSA since 2023 including into Meta's Facebook and Instagram as well as Elon Musk's X social media platform and TikTok.
