FEDMA reacts to the European Parliament vote on the Digital Services Act: Preserving online advertising transparency and promoting better coherence with existing and forthcoming laws

Today, the European Parliament adopted its negotiating position on the proposal for a Digital Services Act (DSA). The vote paves the way for the trilogue negotiations with the Council of the EU which agreed its negotiating mandate in November 2021.

FEDMA welcomes the Parliament’s agreement as a further step towards the achievement of a truly Digital Single Market underpinned by a common and up-to-date rulebook.

Today’s vote is a compromise forged through intense discussions across the Parliament’ political spectrum ultimately reflected in yesterday’s plenary debate in Strasbourg, especially on online advertising.

Online advertising represents an important channel of communication in the broader data and marketing industry, and FEDMA welcomes the Parliament’s recognition that while a complete ban on personalized ads would have far reaching consequences for smaller companies, online advertising transparency plays a significant role in driving individuals’ trust online.

Finally, while FEDMA shares the intention behind the new provisions on misleading interface practices, age verification and consent preferences, we voice concerns on a lack of clarity on their practical implementation and a lack of coherence with the EU data and consumer protection framework as well as the forthcoming Digital Markets Act. In line with FEDMA recommendations, we therefore hope that the trilogue will adopt a holistic approach to ensure legal certainty and synergies with existing and upcoming legislation.

With this in mind, FEDMA is looking forward to continuing contributing to the discussion with both the European Parliament and the Council of the EU on this important file.