Regulating Big Tech in Europe

Brussels wants more power to audit how tech companies harvest and use consumer data, as the EU prepares to launch a consultation on its flagship digital platform regulation. After pausing work on this year’s Digital Services Act during the coronavirus crisis, senior EU officials are now considering plans to force companies such as Google, Twitter and Facebook to be more transparent. “We need to be able to look under the hood,” said one person with direct knowledge of the discussions. “Currently, we have no systematic way of finding out what's going on. In the areas of disinformation or illegal content we always have to take the company’s word for it.”