Facebook, Google and the technology sector in general are preparing for new European rules that are aimed at regulating the way in which they show political advertising to their users , and the way in which they manage disinformation. The European Action Plan for Democracy is expected to be published this week and will set out the EU's position on elections, democracy and media freedom and how they are affected by technology and social media. The action plan will not be a set of new laws, but rather a project that will contribute to the shaping of future European legislation , a process that could take years. Vera Jourova is the vice president of the European Commission for values and transparency and is in charge of developing this plan. The Czech-born policy will have to demonstrate that the EU respects freedom of expression and, at the same time, is effective in making technology platforms comply.
I usually say that Californian law does not apply in Europe ," Jourova summarizes to Business Insider during a virtual interview on the opening day of the Web Summit. "We have our own rules, which in turn are the result of our history and our legal traditions." These traditions, according to which Europe takes a stricter view on hate speech, oppose the Europe Cell Phone Number List First Amendment of the United States Constitution and the laissez-faire practices that North American technology platforms have followed to date. Zuckerberg announces that Facebook will allow users to disable political advertising ads "I was in California several years ago and there I spoke with CEOs of big tech companies who were still convinced that their platforms are simply pipes, that they have nothing to do with content or impact on society. That has been proven. finished ," says Jourova.
It has been a great step forward to reach an agreement with Google, Twitter, Facebook and other platforms that decency must exist and security must be guaranteed for all groups in society," he remarks. Jourova explains that the current model, in which technology platforms regulate disinformation within their own platforms, does not work. "We cannot continue on the basis of some kind of gentlemen's agreement with big technology." The vice president of the EC has already met this year with Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, YouTube boss Susan Wojcicki, and Snap CEO Evan Spiegel. When asked which company seemed most receptive to proposals to regulate the way they work with authorities, Jourova does not name names but has a clear message. "I don't want to make any ranking but, at the same time, I have to say that the era of the Wild West is over.
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