Amazon’s algorithms come under EU scrutiny

The European Union’s fight against Big Tech continued Friday when it asked Amazon to provide more information on how it is complying with the Digital Services Act (DSA), a law mandating that big companies combat harmful content on their websites and set advertising transparency standards.

“In particular, Amazon is asked to provide detailed information on its compliance with the provisions concerning transparency of the recommender systems,” the EU said in a statement, according to Reuters.

Amazon told Quartz in a statement that it is “reviewing this request and working closely with the European Commission.”

“Amazon shares the goal of the European Commission to create a safe, predictable and trusted shopping environment,” it said. “We think this is important for all participants in the retail industry, and we invest significantly in protecting our store from bad actors, illegal content, and in creating a trustworthy shopping experience. We have built on this strong foundation for DSA compliance.”

The company must provide the information by July 26, the EU said.

The DSA launched alongside the Digital Markets Act (DMA) as part of the European Union’s sweeping regulations of big tech.

The DSA focuses on individual user protection, and targets illegal context, disinformation, and transparent advertising, while the DMA works to create more competition in digital markets.

The EU initially outlined more than a dozen companies that were subject to the DSA, including Amazon, Google, Alibaba and Wikipedia.

Amazon tried to skirt the DSA last year, filing a suit saying it wasn’t large enough in Europe to be forced to comply with the law. It lost that court battle in March when Europe’s top court sided with EU regulators.