EU questions big tech on child online safety

• EU asks Apple, Google, Snapchat, YouTube how they protect children online.
• Probe follows scrutiny of big tech over scams and illegal content.

The EU on Friday asked tech giants Apple, Google, Snapchat, and YouTube to explain the measures they are taking to protect children online, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported. 

Under the Digital Services Act, the European Commission has sent information requests to the four companies, EU tech chief Henna Virkkunen told reporters ahead of a meeting of EU ministers in Denmark.

The EU has recently increased scrutiny of big tech. 

Read more: EU questions Apple, Google, Microsoft over online financial scams

In September, it demanded Apple, Microsoft, and Google outline the steps they are taking to protect consumers from online financial scams.

“We see that more and more criminal actions are taking place online,” Virkkunen said. “We have to make sure that online platforms make every effort to detect and prevent this kind of illegal content.”

The measure comes as transatlantic tensions over the EU’s digital rule book continue to rise with the USA. 

US President Donald Trump has previously threatened to punish countries that “discriminate” against US companies with higher tariffs. 

However, Virkkunen emphasized that the EU is not focused on the companies’ locations, but is instead scrutinizing their individual operations.