European Commission ramps up efforts to tackle online copyright infringement
The European Commission released a set of recommended operational measures yesterday in an effort to fight back against illegal content online.
This comes after the Commission issued guidelines in September 2017 on how to tackle illegal content, including copyright infringement and counterfeit products.
The new operational measures and the necessary safeguards are to be implemented by member states and European companies to step up efforts in curbing online illegal activity. The Commission will then determine whether it will be necessary to propose legislation.
Vice president for the digital single market, Andrus Ansip, said that online platforms have a responsibility to provide a secure environment to users, stressing that what is illegal offline is illegal online also.
He said: “While several platforms have been removing more illegal content than ever before—showing that self-regulation can work—we still need to react faster against terrorist propaganda and other illegal content which is a serious threat to our citizens’ security, safety and fundamental rights.”
The operational measures, designed to ensure faster detection and removal of illegal online content, and reinforce cooperation between companies, include clearer notice and action procedures; more efficient tools and proactive technologies; stronger safeguards to ensure fundamental rights; special attention to small companies; and closer cooperation with authorities.
Moving forward, the Commission will monitor the effectiveness of the proposed measures. Member states and companies are required to submit relevant details regarding terrorist content within three months, and other illegal content within a six-month period.
The submitted information will be analysed and additional steps, including legislation, will be enforced if necessary.
The Commission said that illegal content online not only undermines the trust of EU citizens, but also poses security threats. Therefore, online platforms are being urged to “redouble” efforts in addressing the problem.
A set of voluntary initiatives has already been created to tackle the threat of illegal online content including the ‘Memorandum of Understanding on the Sale of Counterfeit Goods’ and the ‘Code of Conduct on Countering Illegal Hate Speech Online’. While the Commission said that these have had an impact, it acknowledged that there is “significant scope” for more effective action.
The recommended operational measures come after five European Commissioners met with representatives of online platforms in Brussels in January to discuss the progress being made in the fight against illegal content published online.
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