France teeters toward digital authoritarianism?
In the rapidly evolving digital world, several significant developments are shaping the way we interact online and protecting our rights as citizens. Here's a look at some key regulations implemented by the European Union and the impact they are having.
The Digital Services Act (DSA), effective from 2025, places a strong emphasis on online platform responsibilities, particularly in protecting minors. Platforms accessible to children must implement appropriate privacy, safety, and security measures, enhancing user protections and accountability online.
The Digital Markets Act (DMA) targets "gatekeepers" - large platforms providing core digital services - imposing obligations to ensure fair competition and prevent anti-competitive practices. Although AI is not currently classified as a core platform service, the DMA may cover AI integrated within gatekeeper services, with potential updates planned in 2026 to clarify AI's role and regulation.
The Digital Fairness Act (DFA), currently under consultation, aims to address gaps in consumer protections untouched by the DSA and DMA. It seeks to tackle manipulative design practices, addictive features, unfair personalization, and other consumer harms in digital markets, enhancing transparency and fairness in B2C digital interactions.
The AI Act, which entered into force in August 2024 and will be fully applicable by August 2026, establishes a risk-based regulatory framework specifically for AI systems. The Act addresses prohibitions, literacy, and high-risk AI systems, aiming to ensure trustworthy AI development and deployment in Europe.
These EU regulations collectively drive increased user safety and privacy, market fairness and competition, and responsible AI use, positioning Europe as a global leader in digital governance with significant impact on digital platforms, consumers, and AI developers.
Meanwhile, global trends in digital surveillance continue to raise concerns. The authorization to use artificial intelligence for mass surveillance during the 2024 Olympics is a notable decision, as discussed by Amnesty International. Digital surveillance is also omnipresent in countries like China, where citizens have developed ways to cope with it.
In Russia, access to Google and Facebook is restricted, with Russians using Yandex - a Google equivalent with strong government ties - enabling population browsing habits to be monitored and controlled content to be disseminated and indexed.
Cyberattacks, such as ransomware attacks, can cause essential infrastructure like hospitals to stop functioning, highlighting the need for robust cybersecurity measures. Interference from other countries, like the creation and dissemination of fake news, can manipulate public opinion, underscoring the importance of fact-checking and media literacy.
The war between Ukraine and Russia is a critical issue for democracy in Europe, while in France, the dissolution of the National Assembly is set to shuffle the deck, with each party striving to gain more power. A precedent-setting measure has been taken to ban TikTok in New Caledonia, demonstrating the growing awareness and concern about the impact of social media on society.
As we navigate this digital age, it is crucial to stay informed about these developments and advocate for policies that prioritize user safety, privacy, and fairness.
- The Digital Services Act (DSA) and Digital Fairness Act (DFA) implemented by the European Union aim to enhance user protections and accountability online,addressing manipulative design practices and unfair personalization in digital markets.
- The Digital Markets Act (DMA) targets large digital platforms, ensuring fair competition and preventing anti-competitive practices, although its impact on AI may be clarified in 2026.
- The AI Act established a regulatory framework specifically for AI systems, aiming to ensure trustworthy AI development and deployment in Europe, while concerns about digital surveillance and cyberattacks continue to grow globally.
