Amazon Argues It Isn’t A Large Online Platform Under EU’s New Tech Rules

(CTN News) – As part of the latest set of EU regulations governing digital commerce, Amazon argues that it should not be classified as a very large online company under the updated European Union rules.

As part of a petition filed on Tuesday with the General Court of the European Union in Luxembourg, the online retail giant asked that it not be considered to be a “very large online platform,” which is defined in the Digital Services Act as a business online reaching 45 million Europeans, or ten percent of the population of the EU, as a “very large online platform.”

A total of 19 companies, including Amazon and social networks like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter, as well as search engines like Google and Bing, meet the criteria set forth by the study.

A number of new responsibilities are set out for several different classes of online businesses in the Digital Services Act of 2015, which takes effect on August 25.

The requirements include requirements regarding the sharing of information with authorities and researchers on large online platforms, the user’s choice as to whether or not recommendations are based on a profiling algorithm, and the platform’s cooperation with government officials during crisis situations.

Financial Times reports that in its filing, Amazon argued that it did not technically meet the DSA’s criteria, since most of the company’s revenue does not come from advertising and the company does not act as a hub for content like social media sites.

In a statement to The Messenger, an Amazon spokesperson stated that while the company agrees with the EC’s objective and is committed to protecting customers against illegal products and content, Amazon does not “fit this description of a Very Large Online Platform (VLOP) under the DSA and therefore should not be designated as one.”

Zalando, a German online retailer, has filed its own legal complaint arguing that the rules are too onerous. Amazon is the first to challenge the designation; the American retailer is the first to challenge the designation.

A statement from the company states that it does not present a “systemic risk” of the dissemination of illegal or harmful content from third parties, but rather offers a “safe online environment with highly curated products from leading brands and established partners that have been thoroughly vetted.”

In connection with the filing, the EU recently approved a new agreement with the United States that would give companies, including Amazon, the ability to store Europeans’ personal data on servers that are located in the US.

A few European privacy activists have, however, argued that the deal does not go far enough to protect European citizens from US intelligence agencies snooping on their data and have promised to take the case to court if necessary.

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