EU Proposes Digital Services Act Rules for All Online Platforms

BRUSSELS—The European Commission published its proposed guidelines for enforcing the Digital Services Act on Tuesday, making them available for public comment. Expecting public feedback until June 10, the executive branch of the European Union is seeking contributions from stakeholders in digital-native industries, including adult. This also includes input from parents and guardians, minors who are active on the internet, law enforcement, other national authorities and academics. Publication of the guidelines is expected by the end of the summer, notes a public announcement found on the European Commission's website. According to the draft guidelines, platforms that are regulated under the DSA will have to comply with all requirements and duties levied upon them based on classification. For example, several of the world's most popular adult platforms are classified by the DSA as very-large online platforms or VLOPs. VLOPs are bound by stricter regulations. "This ensures that platforms can tailor their measures to their specific services, avoiding undue restrictions on children’s rights to participation, information, and freedom of expression," reads the statement from the commission. What the guidelines additionally cover are requirements to implement age assurance and age verification for adult platforms or platforms that could leave minors at risk of being exposed to pornography or other age-restricted material, like violence or drugs and alcohol.  Guidelines also require online platforms of all types, especially social media networks, to deploy age-appropriate design codes for user experiences. "The guidelines adopt the same risk-based approach that underpins the DSA, recognising that different platforms pose varying levels of risks to minors," notes the release.