EU Digital Services Act (DSA)

What is it

The Digital Services Act (DSA) is the Digital Services Regulation. The European Parliament wants to break the power of "Big Tech," the big companies like Facebook, Google, Apple and Amazon. This is good news for internet users within the EU. The basic rule will be that everything that is prohibited offline must also be prohibited online.

What it can mean for a sex worker

While the DSA is good news for everyone, an amendment has been rumbled in that is actually bad news for sex workers (working online). Once again, we are made the exception. The content that sex workers make (seen as pornographic in nature) can then only be uploaded after you have registered with an email address (which is not unusual) but also with your phone number. And that can be a risk if the database with those phone numbers is leaked or hacked. How this will all work out is not yet known.

Update (23-04-2022) : good news! Against all odds, the amendment did not pass!

 

What can you do

Currently as nothing, in the past ESWA asked for emails to be sent to protest the amendment. "This is an important victory and proof that sex workers are capable of influencing policy." writes ESWA.

Continue reading

https://www.eswalliance.org/letter_of_concern_regarding_digital_services_act_dsa_amendment_on_mandatory_phone_registration_for_content_creators

https://edri.org/our-work/protecting-digital-rights-and-freedoms-in-the-legislation-to-effectively-tackle-child-abuse/

Digital Services Act: Civil Liberties Committee pushes for digital privacy and free speech | European Pirate Party (european-pirateparty.eu)