Tech giants including Google, Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok face tougher online content rules in the European Union due to their large number of users.
The new rules, known as the Digital Services Act (DSA), label companies with more than 45 million users as very large online platforms (VLOPs) and expect them to carry out risk management and external and independent auditing.
They will also be required to share data with authorities and researchers and adopt a code of conduct.
The European Commission had given search engines and online platforms until Feb. 17 to report their monthly active users. Those classified as VLOPs have four months to adhere to the rules or risk fines.
Twitter on Thursday said it had 100.9 million average monthly users in the EU, according to an estimation of the last 45 days.
Google owner Alphabet (GOOGL.O) issued one set of numbers based on users’ accounts and a different set based on signed-out recipients, saying users can use its services whether they sign in to an account or are signed out.
It said the average monthly number of signed-in users added up to 401.7 million at YouTube, 332 million at Google Search, 278.6 million at Google Maps, 274.6 million at Google Play, and 74.9 million at Shopping.
Apple (AAPL.O) said only its App Store designed for its iPhones, with over 45 million monthly users, would be counted as a very large online platform. But it will also apply the same rules to the App Store for iPads, TV, Mac computers, and Apple Watch, and to its Apple Books podcasts and e-books paid subscriptions.
“Apple intends, on an entirely voluntary basis, to align each of the existing versions of the App Store (including those that do not currently meet the VLOP designation threshold) with the existing DSA requirements for VLOPs,” it said on its site.
Amazon (AMZN.O) said it had over 45 million users in the EU, while Microsoft (MSFT.O) said its Bing search engine had 107 million average monthly users in the second half of 2022.
Buy Bitcoin NowAlibaba Group Holding’s (9988.HK) e-commerce site AliExpress said its average monthly active users in the EU was higher than 45 million from Aug. 1, 2022 to Jan. 31, 2023.
TikTok has 100.9 million average monthly users in the EU according to an estimation of the last 45 days.
eBay (EBAY.O) said it was under the EU user threshold.
Meta Platforms (META.O) has said it had 255 million average monthly active users on Facebook in the EU and nearly 250 million average monthly active users on Instagram in the back half of last year. Companies will have to publicize user numbers every six months.
