Media coverage
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Media coverage
Title JUDGES TO DECIDE ON DSA OBLIGATIONS FOR THE METAVERSE AND GAMING PLATFORMS Degree of recognition International Media name/outlet Politico Pro Morning Tech Media type Web Date 23/11/22 Description Courts will decide on if new tech innovations such as the so-called metaverse will fall under the obligations in the Digital Services Act (DSA), according to a Commission official. Irene Roche Laguna, deputy head of unit of the Commission’s unit that will enforce the EU’s content moderation law, said Tuesday that judges will decide on tech applications that fall in a “gray zone.”
“This discussion could run eternally,” she said during a debate organized by think tank CERRE. “Is Mastodon subject to the DSA? Is the metaverse subject to the DSA? It will have to be elaborated on a case-by-case basis.” Roche Laguna said similar debates unfolded over twenty years ago with the e-commerce directive but that judges had been able to hold video-sharing platforms, search engines and social networks accountable.
Loopholes? A new study on content moderation laws said the DSA presented several gaps when it comes to tackling harmful content in the world of gaming in the future metaverse — virtual universes. “Online gaming websites are not specifically mentioned in the instruments,” wrote Michèle Ledger and Sally Broughton Micova. “This may be surprising as, for instance, Epic’s Fortnite is reported to have 70 [million] gamers per month worldwide.” The report also added that the DSA (and other laws) didn’t have specific rules on livestreaming, which can reveal users’ location and enable offenders to pressure minors into being sexually abused.Persons Sally Broughton Micova