The European Parliament spelled out the priorities of the new Digital Service Act

The online world has an unprecedented development in the recent years. New ways of working, shopping, communicating, booking accommodation, ordering food and transport have appeared, however, the European legislation is still lagging behind, as the e-Commerce directive was adopted in 2000, when the largest online companies did not even exist. EU legislation needs to catch-up with online developments, and in this framework, on 20 October 2020 the EP adopted recommendations for what the new Digital Services Act (DSA) should include:

• DSA should apply to EU companies and third country companies that sell to European consumers, and to all digital services, not only online platforms.
• Consumers have to be equally safe when shopping online and in “traditional” stores.
• The platforms s check and stop fraudulent companies using their services to sell unsafe products or spread disinformation.
• Consumers should have the right to be informed and refuse if a service is using artificial intelligence.
• DSA should make it easier for new companies to enter the market by addressing the uncompetitive situation created by big digital players.
• DSA should provide clarity and guidance about tackling illegal and harmful content online.