“Meta and X show a kind of collaboration with cybercrooks”

LA TRIBUNE SUNDAY – Other laws already regulate what happens online, especially at the European level. Why this SREN bill (Protecting and managing digital space) was it necessary?

MARINA FERRARI – Since 2017, we have been working to protect our citizens in the digital world, with European and national texts. This new piece of French legislation will allow us to better protect citizens in the digital space, especially by combining two European texts – the Digital Services Act and the Digital Markets Act – which saw the light of day under the impetus of the French presidency. EU. This legislation will allow us to fight abuse in our digital space while further punishing criminals or accomplices. It will also protect the most vulnerable, especially children. Too many children, at the age of thirteen, have already been exposed to pornography: we had to take action. It was a law expected and a law of common sense.

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In 2019, the Avia law had already tried to regulate the digital space before being reviewed by the Constitutional Council… Some fear that the SREN law will reproduce this failure.

Overall we have found the right balance. We do not allow the market to regulate itself, everyone has seen their limit, and we do not engage in internet censorship or digital isolation. Measures that are too restrictive are neither technically viable nor democratically desirable. We need a code of good conduct on social media while over-sanctioning it.

Criticism focuses specifically on the offense of online defamation and its vague and arbitrary nature to others. It was also the subject of LFI’s appeal to the Constitutional Council.

This is a system that was removed from Parliament and then restored at the request of the Senate during a joint committee, without the support of the Government. Although the goal of fighting online hate is laudable, I remain skeptical about the effectiveness and legality of this system but also about its compliance with European law. So I warned about this step.

Does this error mean the need to be clearly identified on the social network, through your ID for example?

I believe that there is no real anonymity online and I stress: those who spread hate online can often be identified and held accountable for their actions. We can think about improving authorization systems to adapt to the trusted digital space. Regardless of the decision of the Constitutional Council, I want to encourage the victims to submit complaints. You must use the tools available.

Users will soon have to prove their age to access porn sites. Are you sure all sites are affected?

These measures apply to all websites: French, European and non-European. We have found an exception to ensure that in the event of the failure of the foreign site, Arcom can take advantage of the authority that the law gives it. No pornographic content can be displayed on the website screen until user age control is implemented. Therefore, Arcom may, after official notification, block the site, or even plan its removal in the event of a repeat offense. And this within 48 hours. In the event of non-compliance with these obligations, there will be sanctions, which can reach a fine of up to 150,000 euros, or even 2% of international sales.

Age verification by credit card is provided. Why this temporary solution when you have been thinking about more reliable technological solutions for two years?

This six-month transition period gives platforms time to adjust. We are not here to impose a technological solution but to implement the set parameters. Platforms must implement a double anonymity system. So the system must ensure a watertight seal between porn sites and third parties.

Some critical voices question the feasibility of this age verification, which has failed in other countries…

I can assure you that everything is done by Arcom to ensure that the system works perfectly: the technological solution is there.

What about platforms like X, which distribute pornographic content? If they are not going to ban porn content, will they have to check the age of Internet users?

As for X, we hope so, and it is up to the European Commission to resolve this debate in its capacity as a regulator of very large platforms.

The bill also covers online fraud. How will the anti-phishing filter you recommend be used?

This is a promise from the President of the Republic and it will be implemented. As soon as an Internet user clicks on a website identified as fraudulent, a message will appear warning the user that this website has been referred to as such. We will have a reference database of all fraud-related contacts, enhanced by reports from our fellow citizens. This filter should be working in the coming months.

We have the example of CPF fraud, false ANTAI fines and recent advertisements featuring well-known public figures, such as Elise Lucet or Kylian Mbappé, selling services or products. The user is then tricked into making fraudulent purchases, often involving unregulated cryptocurrencies. This content is hosted on popular social networks like X and Meta. In addition, these are sponsored posts, which increases their virality. I see this as a kind of compromise on the part of the platforms, which make money by increasing the audience for this illegal content. I contacted the European Commission, Arcom and the Financial Markets Authority. My goal is clear: to remind the platforms of their responsibility. They must implement all necessary means to remove the content as soon as possible.

What is planned to prevent false information in the preparation of elections?

The closer the election, the more attempts to destabilize it will increase. This new text should allow us to build a digital shield against misinformation and attempted interference, especially in the run-up to elections. We must now ensure that platforms honor their commitments and strengthen their internal processes. We will demand a lot with eyes. We therefore asked the platforms to distribute their number of moderators in European languages. The results show that they are more motivated by the topic (226 French-speaking managers for Meta, 687 for TikTok, 250 for Snapchat and 52 for X, Editor’s note).

Fake influencers impersonating Marine Le Pen and Marion Maréchal-Le Pen are pushing right-wing ideas on TikTok. His videos are viral, showing that political propaganda can take a new form…

Right-wing extremist groups have a very vague relationship with online misogyny and a sort of complacency with the misuse of social media…

We are here faced with deepfakes featuring fictional characters but not “real” people. So it’s not strictly an identity theft issue but I condemn the political use of real people’s images without their consent. I invite Mrs. Maréchal-Le Pen and Mrs. Le Pen to report the content to the relevant platforms if they consider it harmful to their honor and reputation.

You recently talked about TikTok Lite, a new app from ByteDance where users earn points for watching videos… What steps do you plan to implement?

If an app offers you to watch more videos for a fee, it encourages addiction and TikTok has already been recognized as one of the most addictive apps. This is the opposite of the digital society in which we want to adapt and help our children grow. Especially at a time when we are taking steps to protect children from inappropriate content and when we are starting a discussion about children’s exposure to screens. This is the subject of the expert report that we will be given in the coming weeks at the request of the President of the Republic.

I asked my services to investigate the mechanisms of this new request. And I have no doubt that the European Commission, which has already opened an investigation into TikTok, will itself be concerned about it.

What do you expect from this children’s report and screen?

It will be the fruits of the work of experts and meetings of people recognized by very different backgrounds and additions and profiles: representatives of Tech, the world of education, doctors, academics…I So wait for the analysis of information and scientific.

Clinical studies have already found that in children under the age of three, increased exposure to screens can harm their cognitive development and cause language problems. No one disputes that today.

A few weeks ago, together with Brigitte Macron and Sarah El Haïry, we launched the “P@rents, let’s talk digital” system supported by Unaf, to help parents and raise awareness of these issues. We have to give them solutions without making them feel guilty. The goal is to listen to them and provide them with methods to identify risks while better understanding the digital space in which they work. More than 250 events have already been organized. Content will also be available on the platform jeprotegemonefant.gouv.fr

LR deputies have drafted a bill to ban the use of screens in nurseries and among childcare workers. What do you think; what do you think

The goal is laudable but should we pass the law? I’m not sure. We all know that the consequences of screens are big under the age of 3. Early childhood workers know the dangers and maybe we need to raise their awareness more. At higher levels, on the other hand, digital education is part of school learning. From primary school onwards, children must understand that it is a useful tool but carries risks and that they must use it wisely and discerningly.

What will be the indicators of success of the SREN law?

The decrease or even the disappearance of the number of children affected by pornographic content, the evolution of the number of online frauds but also the number of Internet users who are abused online. Cybermalveillance.gouv monitors all these indicators very closely and regularly shares their analysis with us. They will allow us to draw a preliminary assessment.