S&D MEP and Rapporteur Christel Schaldemose and Justin Nogarede, FEPS Digital Policy Analist

The crucial set of rules for online services dates from 2000. Back then, many online services were merely providing tools for users to access the web and build their own websites. And online business models were still unclear. Therefore, the EU allowed experimentation and adopted rules that largely shielded services from liability for content shared by their users. Fast forward 20 years and things are radically different. Large online platforms dominate the Internet and they fundamentally shape the user experience via algorithmic selection and ranking of content. They often make their money by selling ads, based on detailed user profiles. There is a mismatch between their lack of accountability and their size and influence over our economy and democracy. The European Commission’s proposal for a Digital Services Act intends to address these concerns, but will it be sufficient?

Christel Schaldemose is the Rapporteur for the Digital Services Act in the European Parliament’s IMCO Committee. She has just finalised her draft report, and she will be instrumental in upcoming negotiations within the Parliament and with the Council of the EU. The conversations touches on online marketplaces’ responsibility for goods sold on their platforms, what to do about tracking ads, rules on recommender systems (algorithms!) and more.