France: Adopted Bill reinforcing respect of the principles for the Republic including content moderation requirements

On 23 July 2021, the Bill reinforcing respect for the principles of the Republic was adopted by the National Assembly. The Bill includes content moderation requirements to address the illegal content displayed online in line with the EU Digital Services Act proposal. The online platforms that meet the criteria to be established by a Government Decree will be required to inform authorities about their decisions to remove unlawful content and store it to facilitate lawsuits. Furthermore, platforms would be required to designate a person responsible for communication with authorities and publish clear and transparent terms of use, including the prohibition of uploading illegal content. Finally, online platforms would be required to allocate human and technological resources to detect, identify and process complaints regarding illegal content and issue an annual report on their policy to fight illegal, hateful content online.