The European Union stands ready to act if digital platforms are found to be amplifying content to influence the outcome of elections, EU justice commissioner Michael McGrath has said.
Speaking to The Irish Times at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Mr McGrath said the bloc’s Digital Services Act, a set of rules aimed at policing content online, would be used to prosecute social media that are artificially boosting political material in a bid to sway voters.
The European Commission has come under pressure to curb the growing influence of tech billionaire Elon Musk following his high-profile interventions in German and British politics in recent weeks.
[ Brussels orders X to hand over documents on algorithmOpens in new window ]
In advance of the German election next month, Mr Musk live-streamed an interview with far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) leader Alice Weidel on his X platform. Within days of the interview, EU regulators announced they were widening the scope of an existing investigation into X.
“Using a platform to give expression to political views is within the parameters of the law,” Mr McGrath said.
“Where an issue arises potentially, not just in the context of one election but any election, is where there is algorithmic amplification of certain content.
“It’s not about interfering in any election that’s certainly not the role of the EU but where any platform is used for that purpose in a manner that impacts on civic discourse, that impacts on electoral processes in Europe, without adequate risk mitigation then the Digital Services Act is relevant and we stand prepared to use it,” he said.
Mr McGrath, who stepped down as Irish finance minister in June last year after being nominated by the Government to become Ireland’s next EU commissioner, said the EU’s draft Digital Fairness Act, which aims to tackle unethical techniques and commercial practices, was a “major legislative intervention” that would specifically examine “the automatic renewal” of subscriptions and “dynamic pricing” for concert tickets.
“There are tactics being used that put a lot of pressure on consumers,” he said.
Mr McGrath also raised concerns about “unsafe products” sold through ecommerce platforms coming into Europe from China. “Toys, electrical products, household appliances are coming in every day that don’t meet EU minimum safety standards.
Ireland’s childcare sector is struggling, but is a State-led model the answer?
“There is a real issue here about protecting consumers but also about the level playing field for European businesses,” he said, noting there were 10 million packages coming into Europe every day from the rest of the world.
On US president Donald Trump’s move to withdraw the US from the global tax deal, Mr McGrath said it remains to be seen what the US position is on how to tax multinationals. “We remain of the view at a European level that multilateral co-operation on corporate tax globally is the way to go,” he said.
- Sign up for the Business Today newsletter and get the latest business news and commentary in your inbox every weekday morning
- Opt in to Business push alerts and have the best news, analysis and comment delivered directly to your phone
- Join The Irish Times on WhatsApp and stay up to date
- Our Inside Business podcast is published weekly – Find the latest episode here
