The EDPS, the EU’s privacy watchdog, is backing the bloc’s attempts to limit some of the power currently enjoyed by big tech firms. It also proposed additional measures to protect users’ privacy, Reuters reported.
EU Privacy Watchdog Proposes Safeguards
“The EDPS welcomes the (DMA) proposal, as it seeks to promote fair and open markets and the fair processing of personal data,” the agency said in a statement. The DMA provides digital gatekeepers a list of dos and don’ts. These include urging firms to share data with rivals and regulators, but not allowing them to favour their own services on their own platforms, something likely to affect Apple. Fines under the DMA can go as high as 10 percent of global turnover.
The EDPS also backed the DSA, which was announced last year along with the DMA. It compels online platforms and internet firms to tackle illegal content and increase transparency around political advertising. Fines for DSA breaches can be as much as six percent of a firm’s global turnover. The EDPS called for a ban on profiling users for content moderation and said online targeted advertising that requires pervasive tracking should be phased out and ultimately banned. It also said some data should be protected from targeted advertising.