SOURCE: RECLAIM THE NET<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tech giants brace for EU\u2019s looming censorship rules with Germany\u2019s election stress test.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you\u2019re tired of censorship and surveillance, subscribe to Reclaim The Net.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The inevitable slide of the EU\u2019s voluntary \u2014 at least in name \u2014 disinformation code (the 2022 version)<\/a> into mandatory rules integrated into the Digital Services Act (DSA)<\/a> censorship law will become enforceable this July.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But just in time for Germany\u2019s early elections, scheduled for the last week of February, large platforms \u2013 Google, Meta Platforms, Microsoft, TikTok, Snapchat, LinkedIn, and X \u2013 participated in a \u201cstress test\u201d of their readiness to investigate risks to \u201ccivic discourse and electoral process\u201d related to that vote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is taken by some reports to mean that although the voluntary code will become obligatory in the summer, the integration before February 23 in Germany means that platforms with more than 45 million users in the EU will implement \u201cdisinformation\u201d rules, acting a \u201cvoluntary\u201d basis one last time \u2013 in a bid \u201cto avoid future legal risks.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The election campaign in Germany has been marred by contentious attempts by those still in power to discredit and even censor the rising opposition. This is happening both through domestic institutions and by \u201cdelegating\u201d some of such efforts to the EU.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The \u201cstress test\u201d done in late January and the reports around code integration timeline fit well in the overall trend. It was conducted by the European Commission and Germany\u2019s digital services coordinator.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The code\u2019s main purpose is to get signatories to step up content \u201cmoderation\u201d \u2013 which critics see as code word for censorship, but which the EU, along with the DSA, explains as a way to combat illegal content and \u201cprotect users.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n