HORSENS, Denmark – The European Commission has requested information from four platforms – owned by Apple, Google, and Snap – on how they protect children online.
The Commission’s formal requests for information (RFIs) have been sent to Snapchat, YouTube, Apple’s App Store, and Google Play under the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA).
“When minors are applying online services, a very high level of privacy, security, and safety must be ensured,” Tech Commissioner Henna Virkkunen stated in Denmark on Friday morning. “That’s why we have the Digital Services Act in place,” she added.
EU digital ministers and the Commission are meeting in Denmark today to discuss stronger online protections for children. They are expected to sign a joint statement known as the Jutland Declaration.
With the four new RFIs, Virkkunen stated the Commission wants to clarify what kinds of “practices” the three companies have implemented to protect minors online.
The announcement comes after Commission President Ursula von der Leyen set out plans last month to convene discussions on how to strengthen online child protection at an EU-level.
The four RFIs are not the first such DSA inquires by the Commission that focus on child safety. Companies including Snap and Meta have previously received similar inquires.
This is a developing story and will be updated
(nl)
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