The Council of the EU, the European Parliament and the European Commission reached a provisional agreement on the proposed Digital Services Act (DSA). The proposed DSA's major goal is to protect consumers against illicit content or services while still protecting their basic rights online. Firstly, all online platforms will be required to publish specific information, such as who is paying for the advertisements displayed and who is subject to targeting. Secondly, online platforms will be required to provide transparency reports at least every six months, including the number of accounts suspended, content deleted, and the time it takes to do so. The intermediate services will be required to submit yearly reports. Thirdly, users would be able to see trader information on online platforms and very large platforms. Furthermore, the online platforms must also check the credentials of any third-party vendors. Concerning very large online platforms, they will have to follow additional transparency requirements, including maintaining validated advertising databases, which will contain historical data on the content and targeted advertising, as well as the overall number of receivers reached. Such records must be preserved for one year following the last time the ad is displayed. In addition, the Act introduces a prohibition of "dark patterns". This means that online intermediary services are prohibited from nudging users and distorting their choices or decision-making autonomy via the structure, design or functionalities of an online interface. The agreement is now subject to approval by the European Council and the European Parliament.
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