With the planned “Digital Services Act” the Commission plans to update the liability regime for all digital services. However, in the past years a handful of companies have emerged as market dominant platforms whose business model changed drastically – from a focus on software and services to the collection, selling and reselling of user data for advertising purposes.
This lunch discussion will therefore examine how platforms’ business model impacts the dissemination and virality of content – as threats, insults, and false information act as clickbait, generating more data and more profit. This event aims at analysing the issues raised by online companies’ core businesses that are based on collecting highly refined data about their users and converting that data into microtargeted manipulations.
We will furthermore discuss core questions around liability and content moderation. What are the potential risks and benefits of regulating content ranking? And more importantly: How can the planned DSA apply to all digital services alike without creating collateral damage for individuals’ rights and smaller online companies? How could it tackle the underlying root of the problems with mega platforms?
The meeting point for external participants will be at 11:30 inside the Atrium Welcome Point.
This is the first episode in the event series DIGITAL PLATFORM launched by MEP Alexandra Geese. This regular lunch event aims at bringing together policy experts, policy-makers and academics for insight and discussion on the latest developments in the area of platform and digital services regulation.