(Brussels) Google in turn announced changes on Thursday to comply with new European rules, in order to guarantee more transparency to users on advertising targeting and content moderation.
This new EU legislation without equivalent in the world – called the DSA (Digital Services Act) – is essential from Friday in the European area to the 19 largest social networks, marketplaces and search engines, among which Google and its YouTube video platform, but also Amazon, Facebook, Instagram, X (ex-Twitter) or TikTok, under penalty of heavy fines.
These giants are now subject to stricter obligations in terms of reporting and removing illegal content, combating misinformation, protecting minors, and also targeting advertising. TikTok and Meta (Facebook, Instagram) recently announced changes to accommodate the new rules.
Google pledged on Thursday to provide more information in its “Ad Transparency Center” about how ad targeting works, and allow researchers access to more data.
The measures were announced in a blog post by Laurie Richardson, Google’s vice president of trust and safety, and Jennifer Flannery O’Connor, YouTube’s vice president of product management.
The two officials also said Google would release more information about its handling of content moderation, extending that commitment to more of its services, including Maps, Play, Search and Shopping.
Compliance with the DSA rules will be checked by independent audits, under the supervision of the European Commission. Violations will result in fines of up to 6% of worldwide revenue. Ultimate threat, repeat offenders could be banned.
