After several years of asking the tech giants to regulate themselves on mis/disinformation and a range of other topics, the European Union is expected to issue new laws by mid 2022, some of which officials say will be “game changers.”
Europe is facing the same kinds of problems of loss of local news as the US, although their governments have done far more to support journalism than the US has—with countries like France and Denmark giving emergency grants, tax credits and other kinds of support for quality information. The growth of tech platforms has also led to increased online disinformation and misinformation even while trusted sources of information shrink and disappear.
Negotiations are continuing on different aspects of the new regulations but the French government, which will take over the rotating presidency from January-July 2022, is determined to get the Digital Services Act (DSA) and Digital Markets Act (DMA) passed before the 2022 elections in France, in part because President Macron wants to run on a record of regulating Big Tech and working well with Europe.
[…]
