- Israel strikes central Beirut, killing 22
- Solar storm could impact US hurricane recovery efforts: agency
- Delta eyes Election Day travel pullback as profits climb
- Florida battered by hurricane, floods but spared 'worst-case scenario'
- UK's William and Kate in first joint public engagement since cancer treatment
- Over 200 women in legal talks with Harrods over Fayed abuse claims
- A very stiff breeze: BBC says sorry for 20,000 kph wind forecast
- Musk finally unveiling his long-promised robotaxi
- London's Frieze art fair goes potty for ceramics
- US, Europe stocks fall on US inflation data
- US consumer inflation eases to 2.4% in September
- Hurricane Milton tornadoes kill four in Florida amid rescue efforts
- South Korea's Han Kang wins literature Nobel
- Ikea posts fall in annual sales after lowering prices
- Stock markets diverge, oil gains after China rebounds
- World can't 'waste time' trading climate change blame: COP29 hosts
- South Korean same-sex couples make push for marriage equality
- Mumbai declares day of mourning for Indian industrialist Ratan Tata
- 7-Eleven owner restructures to fight takeover
- Sri Lanka recovering faster than expected: World Bank
- Hong Kong, Shanghai rally as most markets track Wall St record
- Uniqlo owner reports record annual earnings
- Hong Kong, Shanghai rally as markets track Wall St record
- Indonesia biomass drive threatens key forests: report
- Mumbai mourns Indian industrialist Ratan Tata
- China opens $71 bn 'swap facility' to boost markets
- Asian markets track Wall St record as Hong Kong, Shanghai stabilise
- 'Denying my potential': women at Japan's top university call out gender imbalance
- China's central bank says opens up $70.6 bn in liquidity to boost market
- Youth facing unprecedented wave of violence, UN envoy warns
- 'A casino in every kitchen': Brazil's online gambling craze
- Nobel chemistry winner sees engineered proteins solving tough problems
- Discord seen as online home for renegades
- US forecasts severe solar storm starting Thursday
- Ratan Tata: Indian mogul who built a global powerhouse
- One dead as storm Kirk tears through Spain, Portugal, France
- Indian business titan Ratan Tata dead at 86
- Fed minutes highlight divisions over rate cut decision
- Steve McQueen debuts new WWII film at London festival
- Nobel winners hope protein work will spur 'incredible' breakthroughs
- What are proteins again? Nobel-winning chemistry explained
- AI steps into science limelight with Nobel wins
- Overshooting 1.5C risks 'irreversible' climate impact: study
- Demis Hassabis, from chess prodigy to Nobel-winning AI pioneer
- Global stocks diverge as Chinese shares tumble
- Time runs out in Florida to flee Hurricane Milton
- Chad issues warning ahead of more devastating floods
- Creator's death no bar to new 'Dragon Ball' products
- Chinese stocks tumble on lack of fresh stimulus
- Trio wins chemistry Nobel for protein design, prediction
TikTok, Twitter user numbers bring them under strict EU rules
TikTok, Twitter, Apple Store, Amazon and several other online platforms have announced user figures in Europe that bring them under stricter EU regulations for policing internet content.
The companies published their numbers ahead of a deadline Friday made compulsory under the new EU Digital Services Act (DSA) that puts internet behemoths operating in Europe under monitoring by the European Commission.
Those platforms -- also joined by Alphabet's Google Search and Google Maps units and its YouTube subsidiary, and Meta's Facebook and Instagram units -- all said they had more than 45 million monthly active "recipients" of their services.
That is the threshold above which they are categorised as a "Very Large Online Platform" (VLOP) or a "Very Large Online Search Engine" (VLOSE) under the DSA.
Many, but not all, of those falling into the VLOP/VLOSE listings are US internet giants.
One major non-American one was Chinese-owned TikTok, which on Friday said it had 125 million active monthly users in the EU.
Several platforms had chafed at the introduction of the new EU rules -- and some said only that they did or did not qualify as a very big platform under the DSA.
For instance, Amazon and Apple Store's iOS App Store said only that the number of people using their services monthly exceeded 45 million, without saying how many.
Swedish music-streaming site Spotify, British-based site OnlyFans, which streams content from sex workers and other content creators, and US dating app Tinder all said only that their active monthly users came in below the 45-million mark.
"We note with some concern that some platforms only published an estimation that they are below the threshold. This is not sufficient," warned a commission spokesman, Johannes Bahrke.
"The rules are clear. A number is a number. We call on those platforms that haven't done so yet to publish the numbers without delay," he said.
- Potentially huge fines -
The DSA came into force in November last year, introducing tougher rules for internet companies to better protect European consumers.
It aims to crack down on illegal online content, counter the online sale of unsafe goods, better protect minors, boost transparency around internet services and data use, and give users more choice and information when they use the internet in the European Union.
Friday's deadline for platforms to report "average monthly active recipients" determines which big platforms get enhanced EU scrutiny.
They are the ones that each month have more than 45 million active users in the EU -- or a reach of around 10 percent of the bloc's population.
The figure goes beyond just registered users to encompass those exposed to information or services online, or those who request online information without necessarily having an account with the platform.
The biggest platforms need to issue annual audits and say what measures they are implementing to stop illegal content.
The commission can also order them to divulge and explain their algorithms and databases -- something that they like to jealously guard.
Smaller platforms have lighter-touch obligations under the DSA.
Potential EU fines for VLOPs and VLOSEs found in breach can go up to six percent of their global annual revenues -- a huge incentive for them to comply.
The commission said on Friday it has launched a one-month public consultation period for how it goes about its DSA enforcement.
M.Mendoza--CPN