Bill seeks to bring order to the internet
In an effort to protect users from the proliferation of online scams and general crime on the internet, the Ministry of Digital Governance is in the final stages of drafting a law, which will be put out for public consultation in the near future, with rules and control procedures governing online communications, information and transactions.
The draft law, based on European directives, aims to monitor traffic on online platforms and even the “very large” ones, as the biggest problem is seen in social media and search engines, which unwittingly play a leading role in spreading illegal content and causing personal and social damage.
Among others, the list includes Alibaba, Aliexpress, Amazon, Apple’s App Store, Booking.com, Google Search, Google Play, Google Maps, Google Shopping, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, TikTok, X (formerly Twitter), Wikipedia and Pinterest – platforms with a huge reach that can easily become a tool for predators.
The authors of the bill are aiming to significantly improve mechanisms for removing illegal content and create stronger public oversight of online platforms.
Supervision will be undertaken by the National Council for Radio and Television, the Hellenic Data Protection Authority, the Ministry of Development, the General Secretariat for Communication and Information, the Intellectual Property Office and the Hellenic Industrial Property Organization.
At the same time, there are plans to create a register of intermediary service providers established in Greece and to define the procedure by which they will operate in order to establish order and rules.
