digital economy regulation

The European Commission admitted that some aspects of the proposed framework on high-risk suppliers (HRS) under the draft Cybersecurity Act 2 (CSA2) are challenging for telecoms operators. The telecoms industry raised concerns about several aspects of the proposal, such as its interaction with existing national rules and contractual arrangements, the lack of proportionality of the envisaged measures, and the absence of funding for covering the costs of removing equipment from HRS.

The commissioner outlined possible measures on addictive design, dark patterns, online influencers, targeted advertising, digital age limits and the protection of vulnerable consumers, especially children. He also referred to possible simplification measures in EU consumer law.

This edition features news about the past two weeks including the European Parliament and Council provisional agreement on the AI Omnibus; the first report on the review of the Digital Markets Act; developments around age-verification solution in social media platforms; a European Parliament hearing on the audiovisual policy framework and the future of creative freedom, as well as a resolution on platforms’ responsibility to address cyberbullying and online harassment. It also lists events taking place this week.

European Parliament and Council agreed to postpone the application of rules for high-risk AI systems and introduce a new ban on AI practices regarding the generation of non-consensual sexual and intimate content (or child sexual abuse material). Co-legislators also clarified the competences of the AI Office for the supervision of AI systems based on general-purpose AI models.

In its first review of the Digital Markets Act (DMA), the Commission highlighted the positive impacts of the regulation, such as the opening of gatekeepers’ ecosystems. Where obligations had not yet delivered results, this was often attributed to their early stage of implementation. The Commission signalled AI and cloud as focus areas moving forward. The review coincided with a European Parliament resolution calling for stronger DMA enforcement and raising concerns about digital sovereignty.

This edition features news about a joint roadmap by EU institutions for the agreement of key digital legislative initiatives; round-up of ENISA’s annual cybersecurity certification conference; and an update of Cullen International Benchmark on national implementation of the AI Act. It also lists events taking place this week.