EU drafts guidelines on industry’s response to illegal content

The European Commission has shared draft guidelines with Reuters, increasing the pressure on Internet companies to remove illegal content more proactively. The guidelines include measures that  companies should take, including the creation of ‘trusted flaggers’ (teams with expertise in identifying illegal content) and ‘taking voluntary measures to detect and remove illegal content’. Current EU legislation limits the influence of policymakers on the conduct of companies, which are not liable for the content posted on their platforms. Internet companies have been raising their efforts to tackle the problem of illegal content, agreeing to the EU Code of Conduct and the establishment of the Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism.