Search results : 120

On 23 January 2025, the UK’s communications regulator, Ofcom, imposed a GBP 7 000 fine on UK-based video-sharing platform (VSP) MintStars for failing to adequately protect minors from explicit content. The regulator determined that the platform’s safeguards, relying on user self-declaration and disclaimers, were insufficient under the Communications Act 2003. Ofcom’s investigation and findings Earlier on 27 February 2024, Ofcom launched an investigation into MintStars to determine whether it had complied with its statutory obligations under Part 4B of the Communications...

On 18 December 2024, the Dutch Media Authority (Commissariaat voor de Media – CvdM) and the video-sharing platform Snapchat, jointly adopted a code of conduct under the Dutch Media Act, which implements the EU’s Audiovisual Media Services Directive (AVMSD) (see IRIS 2021-1/24). Snapchat is a video-sharing platform and app “designed for people ages 13 and up” which operates throughout the EU, and is established in the Netherlands. Notably, Snapchat is considered a video-sharing platform under the Dutch Media Act and the AVMSD. Under Article 3a(3) of the Dutch Media Act, video-sharing...

On 26 November, AGCOM (Italy’s Communications Authority) launched a 45-day public consultation through Resolution No. 472/24/CONS. The initiative aims to redefine the term "influencer" and introduce a new code of conduct tailored to the evolving influencer landscape. These measures are the result of collaborative efforts by a technical working group established under the same resolution. The consultation proposes the introduction of the notion of “relevant influencers”, defined as those who meet at least one of the following criteria: at least 500 000 subscribers...

On 24 September 2024, the Italian Communications Authority (AGCOM) approved the regulatory framework governing technical and procedural methods for verifying users' age (age assurance, or age verification), as outlined in Article 13-bis of Decree-Law No. 123 of 15 September 2023, converted with amendments by Law No. 159 of 13 November 2023 (the so-called Decreto Caivano). More specifically, Article 13-bis of the Decreto Caivano (Provisions for Age Verification for Access to Pornographic Websites) introduced a prohibition in Italian law on minors accessing pornographic content, as such content...

On 7 October 2024, the Samenwerkingsplatform Digitale Toezichthouders (Dutch Digital Supervisory Cooperation Platform – SDT), which is comprised of four major Dutch regulatory authorities, published a significant recommendation that additional measures are needed to protect children and young people from social media influencer marketing. The SDT is an important regulatory cooperation platform established in 2022 by the Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM), the Netherlands Authority for the Financial Markets, the Dutch Data Protection Authority, and the Dutch Media Authority...