One a large group of “big techs” – including Twitter, Apple, Amazon, Microsoft, Facebook and Google – have hoped that the Union Europea has a framework of greater protection , towards them, to support them in the fight against the dissemination of illegal content and hate speech.

According to the regulations currently in force in Europe these companies enjoy protection from liability provided who have no “actual knowledge” of the presence of illegal or hate speech content on their platforms. In other words: companies cannot be held responsible until the presence of this content is directly reported to them. When this happens, they have an obligation to quickly remove that content.

A framework of greater guarantees for content moderation: the big techs ask for it

Big techs are starting to consider the concern that when their systems detect harmful or illegal content, it could fall into the “actual knowledge” case, thus restoring their liability to that content.

There has been much talk of a ‘Good Samaritan’ principle in the #DigitalServicesAct, however, we are calling for the introduction of a new legal safeguard based on European law and European values. ?? pic.twitter.com/JT7SdsPJq2

— EDiMA (@EDiMA_EU) October 26, 2020

Edima, an association representing these companies, argues that a regulatory framework that grants them greater guarantees would allow them to have better quality moderation. “We want users to have a meaningful way to get an explanation as to why their content was removed and to be able to easily appeal the content removal,” says Edima, who also represents Spotify, TikTok, eBay, Mozilla, Snap, Yelp and Verizon Media .

“The European Union approach to freedom of expression is different from the US approach , therefore our approach to content moderation must also be different. Our proposal is based on European values ​​and laws and sets clear limits to the legal safeguard for service providers in order to protect freedom of expression and prevent a reaction oversized by service providers “ stated Siada El Ramly, Edima’s general manager.

In short, the thesis of Edima, and obviously of the companies it represents, is that in Europe the current regulatory framework leaves them no choice but to act quickly and without going too far, when in in many cases a more cautious approach and more interlocution with the authors of the moderated contents would be desirable .

“What we propose is something new and a testament to the commitment of Edima members to do more to tackle illegal content online and to act constructively. We all