|
Online platforms have come under fire in Europe because of their
dominance and anti-competitive business practices, resulting in
hefty fines handed down to some companies.
Seven months after being told to bring their user terms in line
with EU regulations, both Facebook and Twitter have yet to fully
address all the issues, the European Commission said on
Thursday.
In contrast, Airbnb made the necessary changes after being told
to do so three months ago, European Justice Commissioner Vera
Jourova said, confirming a Reuters story on Wednesday.
"If we don't see progress, the sanctions will come," she told a
news conference. "This is quite clear. We cannot negotiate for
ever, we need to see the results."
Twitter should also make the necessary changes by year-end, a
Commission spokesman said.
Any sanctions would be imposed by national consumer bodies.
The Commission has previously said it was worried about the
companies' liability and how users are informed about content
removal or contract terminations.
Facebook said it had already made a number of changes and would
continue to cooperate with the authorities.
"We updated Facebook's terms of service in May and included the
vast majority of changes the Consumer Protection Cooperation
Network and the European Commission had proposed at that point,"
the company said in a statement.
"Our terms are now much clearer on what is and what isn't
allowed on Facebook and on the options people have."
Changes to Airbnb's user terms include showing the total price
of bookings and extra fees, whether the offer is made by a
private host or by a professional and that consumers have the
right to take legal action.
(Reporting by Foo Yun Chee; Editing by Philip Blenkinsop and
David Goodman)
[© 2018 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2018 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.
 |
|
