Google is taking further steps towards ads transparency and data access for researchers as the EU's new digital regulatory framework kicks in.
Google announced today that it will increase the information it provides about ads targeted to users in the European Union. It is also expanding access to data for third-party researchers studying systemic content risks in the region. The actions are part of a series of measures the company is announcing today that it says are aimed at complying with the European Union’s Digital Services Regulation (DSA).
A deadline to comply with the DSA applies from Friday (August 25) for the largest platforms with more than 45 million regional users – 19 of which were set by the EU in April.
Ahead of this deadline, we've seen a series of announcements from other tech giants outlining how they intend to respond to the EU law, including TikTok, Meta , and Snap.
Tech giants could choose to stop operating in the region if they don’t like the new EU rules. Both Amazon and Zalando are challenging their VLOP designations in court. But permanently abandoning a market of some 450 million consumers is not the kind of decision that would fly in the average C-suite. Even if all eyes are on what Twitter/X owner Elon Musk.
The social platform has also been designated a VLOP – but since Musk took control of Twitter (now X), it has been moving in the opposite direction of DSA compliance. The Commission has therefore been warning for months that the platform faces a major task to avoid DSA violations.
Google says its approach to complying with the DSA regulation includes measures to increase transparency about its content moderation decisions, provide users with different ways to communicate, and update reporting and appeal processes for the information and the specific contexts of decisions .
It also says it has introduced a new Transparency Center that it says will showcase information about its product policies. It also allows people to find reporting and appeal tools, access transparency reports, and learn more about its policy development process .
In another DSA measure, Google is expanding the scope of its Transparency Reports — saying the reports will now include information about how it handles content moderation across more of its services, including Google Search, Google Play, Google Maps, and Shopping.
According to the tech giant's blog post, it confirms that it will assess risks in areas such as the dissemination of illegal content, fundamental rights, public health and political dialogue, and provide reports to European regulators and independent auditors, as required by the DSA.
Information source: techcrunch.com
