HT TECH wants to start sending you push notifications. Click allow to subscribe

It’s for Facebook to adapt to EU’s standards, not the other way round, says EU industry chief

“It’s not for us to adapt to this company, it’s for this company to adapt to us,” Breton, a former CEO at French telecoms provider Orange and French technology company Atos , told reporters after the meeting.

By: REUTERS
Updated on: Aug 20 2022, 19:32 IST
Breton also said he would decide by the end of the year whether to adopt tough rules as part of the digital services act. (Bloomberg)
Breton also said he would decide by the end of the year whether to adopt tough rules as part of the digital services act. (Bloomberg)

EU industry commissioner Thierry Breton said on Monday it was for Facebook to adapt to Europe's standards, not the other way round, as he criticised the US social media giant's proposed internet rules as insufficient.

The blunt comments came after a short meeting with Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and two days before Breton is due to present the first of a raft of rules to rein in US tech giants and state-aided Chinese companies.

You may be interested in

Mobiles Tablets Laptops
2% OFF
Google Pixel 7 5G
  • Obsidian
  • 8 GB RAM
  • 128 GB Storage
₹58,990₹59,999
Buy now
2% OFF
Google Pixel 128GB
  • Black
  • 4 GB RAM
  • 128 GB Storage
₹58,990₹59,999
Buy now
48% OFF
Samsung Galaxy S22 Plus
  • Green
  • 8 GB RAM
  • 128 GB Storage
₹44,890₹85,999
Buy now
5% OFF
Google Pixel 6
  • Stormy Black
  • 8 GB RAM
  • 128 GB Storage
₹41,990₹43,999
Buy now
7% OFF
Microsoft Surface Pro 8 8PV 00029
  • Graphite Black
  • 16 GB DDR4 RAM
  • 256 GB SSD
₹139,999₹149,999
Buy now
47% OFF
Microsoft Surface 4 5UI 00049
  • Platinum Silver
  • 8 GB DDR4 RAM
  • 256 GB SSD
₹98,000₹186,500
Buy now
6% OFF
Microsoft Surface Go THH 00023
  • Platinum
  • 8 GB DDR4 RAM
  • 128 GB SSD
₹94,799₹100,999
Buy now
2% OFF
Microsoft Surface Pro 7 Plus TFM 00013
  • Platinum
  • 8 GB RAM
  • 128 GB SSD
₹78,990₹80,999
Buy now
35% OFF
Xiaomi Pad 6
  • Mist Blue
  • 6 GB RAM
  • 128 GB Storage
₹25,999₹39,999
Buy now
55% OFF
Lenovo Tab M10 5G
  • Abyss Blue
  • 6 GB RAM
  • 128 GB Storage
₹20,999₹47,000
Buy now
32% OFF
Realme Pad 2
  • Imagination Grey
  • 6 GB RAM
  • 128 GB Storage
₹19,668₹28,999
Buy now
Honor Pad X9
  • Gray
  • 4 GB RAM
  • 128 GB Storage
₹16,998
Check details

"It's not for us to adapt to this company, it's for this company to adapt to us," Breton, a former CEO at French telecoms provider Orange and French technology company Atos , told reporters after the meeting.

Also read: Looking for a smartphone? To check mobile finder click here.

Zuckerberg had earlier told reporters he had a good, wide-ranging conversation with Breton.

Breton also said he would decide by the end of the year whether to adopt tough rules as part of the digital services act to regulate online platforms and set out their responsibilities.

He dismissed a discussion paper issued by Facebook on Monday that rejects what it calls intrusive regulations and suggests looser rules whereby companies would periodicially report content and publish enforcement data.

"It's not enough," Breton said, adding that Facebook had omitted any mention of its market dominance and also failed to spell out its responsibilities.

FORCE FOR GOOD OR BAD?

EU justice chief Vera Jourova, who also met Zuckerberg, was equally adamant on Facebook's role in the fight against online hate speech, disinformation and election manipulation.

ALSO READ: Facebook unveils 4 new privacy features: You should be using them all

"Facebook cannot push away all the responsibility. Facebook and Mr Zuckerberg have to answer themselves a question 'who do they want to be' as a company and what values they want to promote," she said in a statement.

"It will not be up to governments or regulators to ensure that Facebook wants to be a force of good or bad."

Breton will announce proposals on Wednesday aimed at exploiting the EU's trove of industrial data and challenging the dominance of Facebook, Google and Amazon. It will announce rules to govern the use of artificial intelligence too, which will also affect companies such as Facebook.

Referring to the possibility that the EU may hold internet companies responsible for hate speech and other illegal speech published on their platforms, Facebook in its discussion document said this ignored the nature of the internet.

It urged regulators to understand the capabilities and limitations of technology in assessing content and allow internet companies the flexibility to innovate.

Zuckerberg's visit came on the heels of visits by Alphabet Chief Executive Sundar Pichai and Microsoft President Brad Smith to Brussels last month.

Catch all the Latest Tech News, Mobile News, Laptop News, Gaming news, Wearables News , How To News, also keep up with us on ,Twitter, Facebook, , and Instagram. For our latest videos, subscribe to our YouTube channel.

First Published Date: 18 Feb, 09:43 IST

Sale

Mobiles Tablets Laptops
6% OFF
Google Pixel 7 5G
  • Obsidian
  • 8 GB RAM
  • 128 GB Storage
₹41,499₹43,999
Buy now
6% OFF
Google Pixel 7A
  • Charcoal
  • 8 GB RAM
  • 128 GB Storage
₹41,499₹43,999
Buy now
55% OFF
Samsung Galaxy S22 Plus
  • Green
  • 8 GB RAM
  • 128 GB Storage
₹38,500₹85,999
Buy now
10% OFF
OnePlus 11R
  • Sonic Black
  • 8 GB RAM
  • 128 GB Storage
₹35,999₹39,999
Buy now
35% OFF
Xiaomi Pad 6
  • Mist Blue
  • 6 GB RAM
  • 128 GB Storage
₹25,925₹39,999
Buy now
38% OFF
Lenovo Tab M10 5G
  • Abyss Blue
  • 6 GB RAM
  • 128 GB Storage
₹20,999₹34,000
Buy now
50% OFF
Realme Pad 2
  • Imagination Grey
  • 6 GB RAM
  • 128 GB Storage
₹12,999₹25,999
Buy now
57% OFF
Honor Pad X8
  • Blue Hour
  • 3 GB RAM
  • 32 GB Storage
₹8,999₹20,999
Buy now
29% OFF
Asus ROG Flow X13 GV301RE LI201WS Laptop
  • Off Black
  • 32 GB RAM
  • 1 TB SSD
₹89,789₹125,989
Buy now
39% OFF
Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 GA401QH HZ076TS Laptop
  • Black
  • 8 GB RAM
  • 1 TB SSD
₹94,990₹155,990
Buy now
31% OFF
Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 GA401QC HZ094TS Laptop
  • Grey
  • 16 GB RAM
  • 1 TB SSD
₹94,999₹137,990
Buy now
27% OFF
Asus TUF Gaming F15 FX506HC HN089WS Laptop
  • Graphite Black
  • 8 GB RAM
  • 512 GB SSD
₹60,990₹82,990
Buy now