A swathe of big companies have been targeted under new EU regulations. 

Nineteen technology giants have been singled out by the European Union for landmark online content rules under the Digital Services Act (DSA). 

Among those affected are five subsidiaries of Alphabet, two units of Meta Platforms, two Microsoft businesses, Twitter, and Alibaba's AliExpress. 

The DSA will require these companies to perform risk management, adopt a code of conduct, share data with researchers and authorities, and conduct independent audits by August. 

The companies have been deemed “systematically relevant” by the EU and will face fines of up to 6 per cent of their global turnover if they fail to tackle disinformation and ensure stronger protection for children. 

The companies that have been identified are Alphabet's Google Maps, Google Play, Google Search, Google Shopping, and YouTube; Meta's Facebook and Instagram; Amazon's Marketplace; Apple's App Store; Microsoft's LinkedIn and Bing; booking.com, Pinterest, Snapchat, TikTok, Twitter, Wikipedia, Zalando, and Alibaba's AliExpress.

EU Industry Chief Thierry Breton stated that another four to five companies may also fall under the DSA. 

Breton has also criticised Facebook's content moderation system and called for Meta to investigate and fix it immediately. 

Meanwhile, Twitter and TikTok are also under scrutiny, with Breton set to carry out a “stress test” at their headquarters. 

Breton emphasised that these companies have “special responsibilities” to make the internet safer and give users more protection and choice. 

These regulations will have a significant impact on some of the largest technology companies in the world, and compliance with the DSA will be a challenge. 

However, the EU is keen to ensure that these companies are held accountable for the content they host and ensure that users are protected from harmful online content.