The Digital Markets Act: five key questions

digital-markets-act

Following 15 months of negotiations, we’ve got white smoke. On Thursday, March 24, the technicians and experts at the European Parliament, the Commission and the Council reached an  agreement on the Digital Markets Act (DMA). Below, we provide a summary of this new regulation by looking at five questions. 

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World Children’s Day: the big tech business model is toxic for children and adolescents

world-children’s-day

The digital environment should be friendly and safe for minors. However, reality shows that websites and social networks have become a risk for children and adolescents, who suffer online from  harassment, violence, intimidation… and are exposed to all kinds of content, from inappropriate advertisements to extreme pornography. Meanwhile, their data is commercialised by the large platforms that make up the Internet, who take little action to control these serious problems.  

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The EADT, with support from the European Commission, organises an event on the digital rights of children and adolescents

digital-rights-of-children

World Children’s Day is again being celebrated this coming November 20th, a date chosen by the United Nations to commemorate the day in 1959 when the Declaration on the Rights of the Child was adopted. On this occasion, the European Association for Digital Transition, EADT, in collaboration with the European Commission, has organised the event “Digital Rights of Minors Online”. It will take place on November 15th at the headquarters of the Representation of the European Commission in Spain, and can also be followed in streaming. 

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Europe and protection of the digital consumer: A challenge halfway met

digital-consumer

The standard profile of the European consumer is increasingly digital. This transformation process, which began years ago, has accelerated dramatically with the COVID-19 pandemic. It is precisely in the last year that transformation of the legislative framework that protects the European consumer has sped up. Last November, the European Commission published the New Consumer Agenda, a document defining key actions that need to be taken in this area, both at European and state level, over the next five years.

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A digital levy in the EU: Our response to the European Commission consultation

digital-levy-in-the-eu

Last February, the European Commission opened a public consultation process as part of its work to create a digital levy in the EU. This is not only in response to the economic and business changes that have been accelerated by the pandemic, but also to bring order to the different initiatives from the Member States. Appropriate taxation for the digital economy, with its ability to break down political boundaries, is a matter of great global interest and a subject that both the G20 and the OECD are also working on. 

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Don’t say marketplace, say Amazon

marketplace

A recent report by analysis firm Credit Suisse predicted that Inditex, the Spanish multinational that owns the Zara brand, would end up selling its garments on Zalando, a German marketplace. The report foresaw that the same would happen with another important European textile giant, H&M. It would be, according to Credit Suisse, not only a logical step but also a necessary one in the face of how rapidly physical commerce is evolving, which is in a sharp decline that has been accelerated by the pandemic. 

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Data Governance Act: Europe moves towards a sovereign data market

data-governance-act

The Data Governance Act being prepared by the European Commission is a key element in creating a single data market aligned with European Union values and principles. It’s obvious the EU starts with a disadvantage in this area, but the technological developments still to come, in which the roll out of 5G and the Internet of Things will play a key role, make it clear there is still a long way to go, especially in the industrial field. 

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Europe’s battle between ePrivacy and child safety

eprivacy

When the European Commission adopted a proposal for a Regulation on Privacy and Electronic Communications back in 2017, it probably had no idea of the conflict to come. Better known as the ePrivacy Directive, the proposed legislation simply aims to update protections of the fundamental right of EU citizens to privacy and confidentiality when using public communications networks. And it’s finally due to come into effect on 21 December.

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