The European Commission said on Thursday it had sent requests for information under the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA) to Apple and 16 other tech companies that it labels very large online platforms (VLOP) and search engines.
Reuters:
It said it contacted AliExpress, Amazon’s Amazon Store, Apple’s App Store, Booking.com, Meta’s Facebook and Instagram, Alphabet’s Google Search, Google Play, Google Maps, and Google Shopping, Microsoft’s LinkedIn and Bing, Pinterest, Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube, and Zalando.
The EU asked the companies to provide more information by February 9 on measures they have taken to give researchers access to data that could be relevant to the upcoming EU and national elections as well as countering illegal content and goods sold online.
The DSA came into force in November last year and requires very large online platforms and search engines to do more to tackle illegal content and risks to public security.
The Commission opened its first probe under the DSA in December 2023 into social media company X over suspected breaches of its obligations.
MacDailyNews Take: The Thought Police are very interested in the possibility of “illegal content” emanating from potential thought-criminals.
As United States Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart said so well:
“Censorship reflects a society’s lack of confidence in itself. It is a hallmark of an authoritarian regime.”
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“suspected breaches of its obligations”. LOL, it’s obligation to spy on its own people?!!
Looks like the EU has taken a page out of Hitler and Stalin’s, playbook.