Hello! A new European Commission has been elected and is ready to get going. It is the first time in this century that the European Parliament approved all designated Commissioners. The majorities are floating, but the power of the center right EPP Group and its leader, Manfred Weber, is at its peak.
Dimi & Michele === DSA Audits === The EU’s content moderation rulebook, the Digital Services Act (DSA), requires Very Large Online Platforms (VLOPs) to go through annual checks and audits. As Wikipedia is a VLOP <https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/policies/list-designated-vlops-and-vloses>, the Wikimedia Foundation (WMF) has published <https://foundation.wikimedia.org/wiki/Legal:Wikimedia_Foundation_EU_Compliance/DSA_Publication_Archive> its first annual DSA documents. They include: - An Audit Report by an external auditor assessing risks on the project and how the provider deals with them. It also includes recommendations. - An Audit Implementation Report, laying out the WMF’s answers to the recommendations. - A Systemic Risk Assessment and Mitigation (SRAM) Register. This is basically a living document where the WMF identifies risks and keeps track of mitigation measures. — Wikipedia, according to the documents, meets the obligations under the DSA, albeit improvement recommendations are made. The systemic risk register lists “disinformation” and “harassment” as immediate priorities with corresponding mitigation measures. — Eventually the documentation from all VLOPs will be published by the European Commission <https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/news/very-large-online-platforms-and-search-engines-publish-first-risk-assessment-and-audit-reports>. The Commission has the power to review and approve, ask for additional information and use them for regulation purposes. To date, the Commission has sent requests for additional information to all but one platform designated as a VLOP from the first group, which is Wikipedia. — If you are curious, we can recommend further reading by the DSA Observatory <https://dsa-observatory.eu/2024/11/22/the-wait-is-almost-over-first-risk-assessment-and-audit-reports-what-will-be-published-when-and-the-way-forward/>. There is also a folder where Algorithm Watch gathers the audit documentation <https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1GRZq3BiQVUzVnXmrxbZyB9PqOtkChhxV> published by various platforms. === New Commission === Last Wednesday, the European Parliament gave its confidence to the new European Commission chaired by Ursula von der Leyen. 370 MEPs voted in favour, 282 against and 36 abstained. This is the lowest majority that a Commission has ever received. The new Commission will formally start on 1 December. But it is also the first time this century that no designated Commissioner was refused confirmation. — Politically, the centre-right EPP is doing an excellent job in holding everyone at arm's length and playing the further-right ECR Group (of Italy’s Giorgia Meloni) against the Social Democrats, while ostracising the Greens. Renew Europe (Liberals, Macron) is dreaming of playing the kingmaker role again, but there are too many groups now that the EPP can play ball with. The power in this term will squarely be with them. — As for the Commission structure <https://drive.google.com/file/d/1_PBiGBKn-SGket5FCW2mOYvVpPyPfkfo/view?usp=sharing>, the new “all things digital” supremo is Finland's Henna Virkkunen. She will oversee everything: DSA implementation, digital competition under the Digital Markets Act, potential AI and copyright initiatives, as well as child protection advances. Other relevant Commissioners for us are Irish Michael McGrath, who will be responsible for justice and fundamental rights, and Maltese Glenn Micaleff holding the culture portofolio. === Child Protection === Child protection online is a topic that will be on our minds for a while. That ship is steaming! — Child protection organizations are - once again - calling on the EU <https://www.iwf.org.uk/media/e1xb23yc/20241118_joint-letter-18-nov_pg-2.pdf> to put the interests of children over the need to preserve encryption. The reason for the letter is the controversial regulation on child sexual abuse online (CSAM), which would demand messaging services to proactive scan all message, and is deadlocked in the Council. — The French government is ramping up pressure on the EU to introduce an EU-wide digital majority at 15. Education Minister Anne Genetet urged the incoming Polish Council presidency to make this a priority. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen is also asking for a 15 years age limit on social media. President von der Leyen has hinted the new Commission might run an EU-wide enquiry on the impact of social media on children’s health. — Meta - the Facebook, Whatsapp and Instagram parent company - floated the idea that app stores and operating systems should perform age verification, where required. Naturally, Google and Apple were not amused. — Wikimedia is following this, as our projects are open and an obligation to check users’ age would both restrict access and force the provider to collect information about users. Should a EU-level regulation come, a lot will depend on its scope and which platforms are targeted. ==== Polish Presidency ==== The incoming Polish Council Presidency <https://www.linkedin.com/company/plpermrepeu/> wants to make “security” its overarching theme and will look into seven categories of security: external and military, energy, economic, food and climate, health and information. We will keep an eye on the last one. ==== From the Blog ==== - Platform Councils – How we control the power of platforms together <https://wikimedia.brussels/guest-post-platform-councils-how-we-control-the-power-of-platforms-together/> - Report on opportunities and threats for openness in a new technological era <https://wikimedia.brussels/report-on-opportunities-and-threats-for-openness-in-a-new-technological-era/> ===END=== -- Wikimedia Europe ivzw
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