As the youth wing of the ALDE Party and a proud champion of liberal protections against hate speech, we are pleased to see that the EU Digital Services Act (DSA) has now come into force.

This sweeping legislation will make the EU more proactive in regulating the online digital space, with online platforms becoming legally accountable for the content posted on its platforms.

We welcome the Act's efforts to create a safer digital space in which the fundamental rights of all users of digital services are protected and establish a level playing field to foster innovation, growth, and competitiveness, both in the European Single Market and globally. These goals align with the liberal market competition and innovation principles that LYMEC has championed since its establishment in 1976.

In addition to these goals, we welcome the extra requirements outlined in the DSA that will apply to large platforms and search engines like Google, Apple, Meta and others. These measures include thoroughly assessing potential risks and designing appropriate measures to deal with and mitigate potential social harms, ranging from the visibility of illegal content to violations of online digital rights and the depiction or promotion of gender-based violence.

Among the law's other provisions, targeted advertising based on profiling children and a person's sexual orientation is no longer permitted - a welcome step in helping to stop predatory and discriminatory advertising. The law will also force firms like TikTok and Meta to be more transparent about how their algorithms work and the adverts that they point digital users to. Introducing these checks and balances is integral to ensuring digital privacy safeguards remain strong - a guarantee of the highest order, especially as we approach a tide of increasing autocratic tendencies across various corners of Europe. 

Championed by liberals like Commissioner for Competition Margrethe Vestager, Commissioner for Internal Market Thierry Breton, and Commissioner for Values Věra Jourová, the DSA marks a positive step in protecting digital freedoms, curbing hate speech and holding social media platforms to account for the content posted. For these reasons, LYMEC strongly supports this liberal-led policy by the European Commission and hopes it marks a turning point towards a more cyber-resilient, transparent and digitally safe Europe.