Regulating Chinese platforms, T&S software market prediction and Roth joins Match Group
Hello and welcome to Everything in Moderation's Week in Review, your in-depth guide to the policies, products, platforms and people shaping the future of online speech and the internet. It's written by me, Ben Whitelaw and supported by members like you.
Online speech and content moderation is inherently political and, increasingly, we're seeing questions of content moderation form part of political and even diplomatic storylines. This week's passing of the TikTok ban bill in the US House of Representatives is perhaps the most clear example of that. Mike and I will get into the issue in the first episode of Ctrl-Alt-Speech, due to be released on all well-moderated platforms (and some less well moderated ones) later today. Subscribe now to be alerted.
There's plenty more besides China in today's newsletter; here's everything you need to know from the last seven days — BW
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Policies
New and emerging internet policy and online speech regulation
An interesting development with regards to the Digital Services Act: Chinese online shopping behemoth Shein will soon be designated as a Very Large Online Platform (VLOP) after recording more than 108m monthly users across EU member states, far surpassing the 45m threshold for VLOPs. The EU said a "timetable [for designation] cannot be indicated" but, if passed, would mean it has to trace sellers on the platform, add methods for users to flag content and trace counterfeit goods.
Broader context: Shein would join AliExpress and Amazon as other marketplaces regulated under the DSA but, frankly, looks like any other shopping website. It's a reminder — to me if perhaps not some politicians in Europe and elsewhere— that platform regulation isn't just about social media. Saying that, we're still waiting to hear about investigations into TikTok and X/Twitter (EiM #236).