The European community will introduce new rules for BigTechs

Social media platforms such asercolesay from the Financial Times.
The guidelines, designed to counter online threats to the integrity of elections, will be adopted by the European Commission as early as next week, the Financial Times reported.

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According to the report, platforms that fail to adequately address misinformation or AI-powered deepfakes could face fines of up to 6% of global revenue.

European elections and DeepFake

With European elections due to take place in June, senior EU officials have been particularly concerned about potentially destabilizing attacks by Russian agents.

During election periods, social media platforms and search engines are expected to set up dedicated teams to examine the risks of online misinformation in 23 different languages ​​across the bloc, according to the FT.
According to the report, they will have to demonstrate that they work closely with cybersecurity agents in the 27 EU member states.

What are DeepFake

Deepfakes are fake audiovisual content for the web, generated by artificial intelligence (AI). Starting from real photos, videos and audio, AI realistically modifies or recreates the characteristics and movements of a face or body, faithfully imitating its voice12.

Here is some key information about Deepfakes:

1. Definition: The word "Deepfake"is a neologism composed of the words "Deep Learning” (an artificial intelligence technology) and “Fake” (i.e. false). In other words, a Deepfake is fake audiovisual web content generated by AI that realistically alters a person's characteristics.
2. Generazione: Artificial intelligence algorithms are trained using models of neurons connected to each other. These algorithms learn from sample data, starting with real photos, videos and audio. In recent times, software has been developed that allows you to create Deepfakes, even using a smartphone1.
3. Threats:
   • Identity theft: If the people involved are not informed or consenting, the Deepfake represents a serious form of identity theft.
   • Cyberbullying: The videos Deepfake they can be created to mock or denigrate people, especially younger people.
   • Fake news: Politicians and opinion leaders are often targets of Deepfake, who try to influence public opinion by spreading false or manipulated videos.

Digital Services Act

The European Union has introduced new rules for Big Tech to ensure greater competition and prevent monopolistic practices. These rules are contained in the Digital Services Act (DSA), which came into force on 1 November 2022.

1. Regulation of “gatekeepers”:
   • The DSA applies to all technology companies with more than 45 million active monthly users in Europe.
   • Companies considered “gatekeepers” must comply with specific requirements regarding content moderation, misinformation and hate speech.
   • For example, platforms will need to have adequate staff to manage content moderation, and users will have the right to lodge complaints in their own language.
2. Responsibility for contents:
   • Big Tech will need to ensure effective moderation of illegal or harmful content on their platforms.
   • They will be subject to sanctions if they do not comply with the new rules.
3. Promotion of competition:
   • The DSA aims to ensure data accessibility and interoperability of services, encouraging greater competition.

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