Hello, welcome back. I'm James Panicki. It's great to be with you again. This is Mlex's

weekly podcast. We cover the biggest regulatory stories from around the globe and we do it with

the assistance of our team of

reporters. And there was huge news out of Brussels this week because this was the week that the

European Commission announced the long-awaited proposals for new rules affecting digital companies.

Of course, our regular listeners know all about these two bills, the Digital Services

Act and the Digital Markets Act. We've talked about them many times before. And while there is

plenty of conceptual overlap between the two, we'll tackle them one at a time. In the second part

of today's podcast, we'll put the DMA under the microscope with Lewis Crofts.

First up, though, the DSA. Now, when implemented, these rules will allow authorities to remove

illegal content from online platforms. The Commission will also establish a sophisticated

enforcement mechanism under which this would be possible.

It's significant enough to prompt speculation that what's being called the too big to care culture of digital platforms may now be on borrowed time.

Matthew Newman is our Brussels-based chief correspondent covering data protection, privacy and telecoms,

and he joins us now, Matthew, first up,

just remind me what the DSA is and tell me something about how it will help fight illegal content

online. Hello, James. Yeah, it's pleasure to talk about the Digital Services Act. This is

probably one of the most important piece of legislation that's coming out of Brussels this year,

and will set the tone for the next two or three years as it goes to the European Parliament and the European member states.

Visual Services Act comes in at a whopping 74 articles, 86 pages, and at the heart of it, it is making the largest

platforms take greater responsibility for the way they moderate content, remove illegal

posts, provide transparency on advertisers, and vet third-party suppliers.

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