EU seeks new Big Tech rules

The European Union’s ambitious plan to update its pioneering internet rules gained momentum Tuesday after a key committee passed measures requiring technology companies to better police content and lawmakers prepared to vote on regulations to rein in Big Tech.

The 27-nation bloc has for the past year been drafting a sweeping overhaul of regulations for digital companies, aimed at making sure tech giants like Google and Facebook, now renamed Meta, treat rivals fairly and protect users on their platforms.

The rules, which have been the subject of fierce lobbying from the tech industry, look set for approval from lawmakers, though they still face tough negotiations next year with EU bodies. The regulations, and similar ones in the United Kingdom to curb harmful online content, show Europe’s role as a pacesetter for regulating the tech industry as a global movement picks up pace following whistle-blower Frances Haugen’s allegations that Facebook put profits ahead of safety.

One set of EU rules, the Digital Services Act, aims to make tech companies more responsible for content on their platforms. The lead committee working on the rules said Tuesday that it approved amendments before sending the draft to the full EU Parliament for a vote, expected in January.

The committee approved a ban on platforms using “dark patterns” — deceptive or nudge techniques to influence users to do things that they don’t intend to — as well as restrictions on targeting ads to children and requiring porn sites to register the identities of users uploading material.