The Brussels digital revolution: new rules for Big Tech

From TikTok to Twitter, from Google to LinkedIn: 17 online platforms and two search engines will have four months to comply with the new DSA obligations. The European Union needs rigor and flexibility to make technological change global

The European Union’s regulatory revolution in the digital sector is becoming a reality. The Commission has designated 17 online platforms and two very large search engines with at least 45 million users under the Digital Services Act (DSA). Among services, social networks and market places, there are the American giants who are generally identified as the Gafa: Google Search, Google Play, Google Maps, Google Shopping and YouTube; Facebook and Instagram; Amazon Store; Apple AppStore; Bing; and Twitter. But there are also the Chinese of TikTok and Alibaba AliExpressand other major, albeit smaller players, such as Booking.com, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Snapchat, Wikipedia and Zalando. These companies have four months to comply with the new DSA obligations.