Big Tech ramps up last-minute lobbying efforts to mitigate impacts of Digital Services Act package

Big Tech intensifies lobbying efforts to soften impacts of Digital Services Act. The focus is on surveillance advertising, with Google opposing bans on behavioral tracking and tracking of minors. European Parliament leans towards strict limitations. As the legislative process progresses, recommendations are made to policymakers to counter external lobbying sway.

A report by Corporate Europe Observatory reveals how Big Tech companies like Google, Amazon, Meta (Facebook), Apple, and Microsoft have been amplifying their lobbying efforts to the Brussels legislators to mitigate the impacts of the pending Digital Services Act (DSA) package. The major battleground lies in surveillance advertising, with the European Parliament and the European Council showing a divergence of opinions. Google, for example, was adamantly against the banning of behavioural tracking and tracking of minors. The Parliament is considering severe limitations to both types of tracking. The report claims that the battling of the tech rules is far from over as the DSA package enters into the next phase, which is the reception of official confirmation by the co-legislators. The report ends with a list of recommendations for the EU policymakers to avoid undue external lobbying influences.

Source: Corporate Europe Observatory, TechCrunch