Mastodawn

European Commission

We have opened formal proceedings under the Digital Services Act to investigate how Snapchat exposes minors to grooming, recruitment for criminal purposes, and illegal products.

Key areas of investigation include:

🔹Grooming & recruitment of minors
🔹Age verification and access for under-13s
🔹Default privacy & safety settings
🔹Spread of illegal or age-restricted products
🔹Reporting of illegal content

We will now carry out an in-depth investigation.

More info: https://link.europa.eu/gXFbqm  

troy_friz_zell 1d ago

Looks like another “think of the children “ attempt to force identification on people to me, folks.

Kierkethumbs up convincingly 1d ago

@EUCommission and you are going to punish people for corporate misconduct

@EUCommission it would be nice if you would consider actions against this platform that does NOT lead everybody to share there ID to continue using it but to directly democratise it!

Stefan Ihringer 1d ago

@the_drifter @EUCommission 👆this. Dear EU Commission, these lines already make it look like you want them to get off the hook once they enforce facial scans of EU citizens. Maybe a fine of measly 100€ which Ireland will then refuse to even collect.

@EUCommission that would include baning, removing and most important, uploading and sharing content violating the personal rights of any one person

@EUCommission Please recommend that, if found to be liable, Snapchat is fined as a proportion of their annual turnover, not some paltry fixed fine capped at a figure far lower than what they regularly generate in a week! Regulation that can be dismissed as simply a cost of doing business is not a deterrent to these corporations. Any fines must give them pause, and dissuade them from similar misbehavior in the future

European Commission 1d ago

Hello @alnitak! DSA fines can reach up to 6% of a provider’s total worldwide annual turnover. The exact amount is calculated case by case, taking into account, the nature of the breach, its gravity, especially the scale and seriousness of impact on EU users and systemic risks.
Learn more here: https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/qanda_20_2348

@EUCommission Thank you for the response and the clarification

🌛esde 🌜amelot 🍃 🌳 🐗1d ago

@EUCommission Please, tell them about the Fediverse!

Hauntshade 1d ago

What is missing here is: Parenting.
Parents neglecting their kids by giving them unfettered access to the internet.

We don't need governments to take away our privacy and our rights, because some people are shitty parents.

You decide to have kids, you take responsibility.

European Commission 1d ago

Hello @hauntshade ! This is not about replacing parental responsibility. Our aim is to make sure children are empowered and protected online, and here digital literacy can play an important role for children, their parents, and teachers. Tech platforms also have a responsibility to ensure the safety of users online, and we will continue working to make sure they live up to that responsibility.

The_Universality 1d ago

@EUCommission @hauntshade It is. If a parent gives phone to children at young age and let them do whatever they want without explaining the risks of being online, they failed as a parent.

Also, the "platforms are responsible to ensure users safety" is quite vaque.

Hauntshade 1d ago

I am all for holding tech platforms accountable, but i am against any form of age verification that requires submitting an ID. We already know how that ends. We have already seen it, again and again. Companies get hacked. Data gets breached. And suddenly your ID information is out there.

I also believe there should be a bigger focus on educating parents, putting more responsiblilty in their hands.
Anyone remember how to use “Parental Controls”?

You have children at home? Asking for their propper mobile, nagging that all friends have one, negociating screen time, controlling if parental control hasn't been circumvented? It is a nightmare! A clear law is a fab ally in negociating with your kids!

@Voyageur_Pragmatique @hauntshade I have 2 kids at home, 12 and 8 years old.
They have a tablet each and no smartphone. Android Family Link allows to configure screen time, not just an overall limit, also a limit by app.
You can forbid certain apps and never install others. My kids don't have Instagram, Snapchat. They only play games and we only allow YouTube limited to their age.
The oldest has a laptop too. Our router is configured to cut off the Internet on his device at 18:30.

@EUCommission a decade too late is better than never I guess

Ryoma123 1d ago

@EUCommission Bravi! Ma sarebbe il caso di farlo anche tutti gli altri social closed source e magari usare la mano pesante, perché le multe non bastano.

T Lisa B 1d ago

Meanwhile, open an account and follow us on one of the fascist US networks, add to the wealth of their owners while they're working on the destruction of democracy.

@EUCommission Good, and about time!

@EUCommission hoard films/series offline.
Get your family/friends/neighbours on briar. Use it offline.
Create offline content sharing groups.
Don't allow government to scan your phone/PC - ever!

Sir Parmesan 1d ago

@EUCommission I can't believe I used snapchat as a teenager. Looking back I can not believe how did I let myself being exposed to that amount of toxic and illegal stuff because of FOMO.

Very good initiative

@EUCommission age verification is nothing less than institutionalized identity theft.

Citizens of democratic countries upholding the rule of law shouldn't be asked to forward their ID to private organizations that aren't held liable for the implemented security and the internal usage of this sensitive data.

Moreover countries like the USA now do a full check of SM contents for everyone entering the country. A burner phone won't be enough when the police can link other accounts to an ID.

Valentino Spataro 1d ago

@EUCommission not only minors: also adults. The techniques are dangerous. They are already illegal. We do not need to age restrict to let adult get toxic behaviours.

TwoDpadsDown 1d ago

I was on board untill "age verification"

CascaCasca95 22h ago

Btw there are better ways to protect children from online harm than with chatcontrol which include nationwide distributions of “Digital Self-Defense” materials, security-by-design apps, deleting reported materials immediatly and so forth.

You do know that if chatcontrol was reality, you also make it impossible for minors to anonymously seek help from f.e. abusive households and you only think of the children as moral ammunition to further your goal for online mass surveillance.

gunstick 21h ago

@EUCommission
Why are you not concerned about giving kids those horrible devices in the first place?

Video Processing Wiki 21h ago

@EUCommission
Have you done anything about X and non-connsensual porn yet?