Google unveils changes before strict EU rules kick in

Google unveils changes before strict EU rules kick in

Google is promising to publish detailed transparency reports
Google is promising to publish detailed transparency reports. Photo: Lionel BONAVENTURE / AFP/File
Source: AFP

PAY ATTENTION: Have you recorded a funny video or filmed the moment of fame, cool dance, or something bizarre? Inbox your personal video on our Facebook page!

Google vowed Thursday to be more transparent about content moderation across its services, including its ubiquitous search engine, as tech firms rush to meet stricter European Union rules that kick in this week.

Sweeping rules will apply from Friday to Google, alongside 18 other large social media platforms and websites including Meta-owned Instagram, Twitter (rebranded as X) and TikTok, forcing the companies to better police content, or face the risk of billions of euros in fines.

Among the Google products listed were YouTube, Google Maps, Play, Search, and Shopping.

The wide-ranging Digital Services Act (DSA) means the EU will be able to get a closer peek at the 19 platforms -- labelled as "very large" because they have at least 45 million monthly active users -- and how their algorithms work.

Read also

Kenyan court says Meta and sacked moderators to pursue settlement

The DSA means stricter regulation on targeted advertising, and forces firms to implement a better mechanism to flag and remove illegal content.

Google's latest steps include expanding its "Ads Transparency Center", where users will find more information about targeting for ads in the European Union, and giving researchers more data access to understand how Google's products work in practice.

PAY ATTENTION: Click “See First” under the “Following” tab to see Briefly News on your News Feed!

The measures were announced in a blog post by Laurie Richardson, Google's vice president for trust and safety, and Jennifer Flannery O'Connor, YouTube's vice president for product management.

They also said Google would publish transparency reports with extra information about how content moderation has been handled for more of its services including Maps, Play, Search, and Shopping.

The DSA compels the internet's biggest players to assess the risks associated with the use of their services and take appropriate action to mitigate those risks.

In the past weeks, the biggest tech companies including TikTok have announced the steps they have taken to comply with the DSA, vowing to give users more control over their feeds on popular social media websites like Instagram and Facebook.

Source: AFP

Authors:
AFP avatar

AFP AFP text, photo, graphic, audio or video material shall not be published, broadcast, rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed directly or indirectly in any medium. AFP news material may not be stored in whole or in part in a computer or otherwise except for personal and non-commercial use. AFP will not be held liable for any delays, inaccuracies, errors or omissions in any AFP news material or in transmission or delivery of all or any part thereof or for any damages whatsoever. As a newswire service, AFP does not obtain releases from subjects, individuals, groups or entities contained in its photographs, videos, graphics or quoted in its texts. Further, no clearance is obtained from the owners of any trademarks or copyrighted materials whose marks and materials are included in AFP material. Therefore you will be solely responsible for obtaining any and all necessary releases from whatever individuals and/or entities necessary for any uses of AFP material.