Cybersecurity Policy Report, Vestager Pledges to Work on Digital Services Act, (Oct 9, 2019)

By Lynn Stanton

The European Commission's Commissioner-competition Margrethe Vestager said if she was confirmed to assume an expanded role as executive vice president for the Digital Age, she would work on legislation aimed at improving digital liability and safety rules.

During remarks for a European Parliament confirmation hearing for the EVP position, which she would occupy in addition to her position as commissioner-competition, Ms. Vestager said, according to a text of her remarks, "We need to engage with people's concerns about technology, and build trust. I will work on a Digital Services Act that includes upgrading our liability and safety rules for digital platforms, services, and products. We may also need to regulate the way that companies collect and use and share data—so it benefits the whole of our society."

Ms. Vestager, who would assume the EVP position in the incoming European Commission taking office this fall for the next five years, also pledged to take action on artificial intelligence.

"We need rules to make sure artificial intelligence is used ethically, to support human decisions and not undermine them. I will put forward proposals developing the European approach for artificial intelligence within the first hundred days of my term in office," she said.

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