Activities of Anne-Sophie PELLETIER related to 2022/2198(INI)
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT on virtual worlds – opportunities, risks and policy implications for the single market
Amendments (22)
Amendment 1 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 3 a (new)
Citation 3 a (new)
– Having regard to Article 24 of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child as elaborated in its General Comment No. 25 as regards the digital environment.
Amendment 2 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas digitalisation brings with it a wealth of opportunities in fields such as medicine, security, education and law enforcement, and has enormous potential to solve global problems related to poverty and inequality; whereas it also offers new possibilities to advance the transition process towards more sustainable and just societies; whereas it still requires the significant investment to combat the roll- out of digital technology and the digital divide, which still affects 46% of Europeans;
Amendment 7 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas the digital transformation also entails significant challenges that will force us to review many of the concepts and norms that have hitherto underpinned our growth and social progress keeping intact our fundamental core principles and values such as cultural policies and copyrights law;
Amendment 22 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F
Recital F
F. whereas virtual worlds also entail significant risks affecting consumer protection and issues related to, including vulnerable groups such as children and issues related to protection of the fundamental rights, competition law, privacy and personal data protection, and cybersecurity; among many others;
Amendment 38 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Underlines that, except for the subsidiarity principles on the cultural policy rules and the country of destination rules on the copyright matters a true digital single market can contribute decisively to the development of virtual worlds; considers that a clear and comprehensive regulatory framework is of vital importance; highlights and stresses the need to monitor potential fragmentation issues within the digital single market;
Amendment 43 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Welcomes the latest regulatory developments in this regard, such as the Digital Services Act (Regulation (EU) 2022/20651 ) and the Digital Markets Act (Regulation (EU) 2022/19252 ); notes also the proposal for an artificial intelligence act and the ongoing negotiations thereon; considers that the Commission should conduct regular regulatory fitness checks of the digital single market including a specific assessment of whether the new opportunities, risks or other issues that may rise with virtual worlds are sufficiently addressed in legislation an policy, and, where necessary, put forward legislative proposals; believes that the outcome of such checks should be made public; _________________ 1 Regulation (EU) 2022/2065 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 19 October 2022 on a Single Market For Digital Services and amending Directive 2000/31/EC (Digital Services Act), OJ L 277, 27.10.2022, p. 1. 2 Regulation (EU) 2022/1925 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 14 September 2022 on contestable and fair markets in the digital sector and amending Directives (EU) 2019/1937 and (EU) 2020/1828 (Digital Markets Act), OJ L 265, 12.10.2022, p. 1.
Amendment 46 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Welcomes the Commission’s commitment to monitor the development of virtual worlds; invites the Commission to draft a report on this subject every two years and to transmit it to Parliament and the Council; asks the Commission to pay attention to the potential emergence of problems in the Web 4.0 that already exist in the Web 3.0, such asin particulary for vulnerable groups such as children including the proliferation of fake news, infringement of intellectual property rights, cyberterrorism, sexual abuse of minors andcollect and misuse of personnal data, manipulative behavioural or addictive design of digital services, sexual abuse of minors, sexual harrasment and abuse of women, cyberbullying, among others;
Amendment 67 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Recalls that most companies leading the development of virtual worlds are established outside the EU; considers that the EU should take the lead in shaping virtual worlds as ecosystems in which European values and principles are respected and promoted, with users and their fundamental rights at their centre; signals the importance of fostering the creation of a level playing field that promotes the expansion of European small and medium-sized enterprises, innovation and growth;
Amendment 77 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 – subparagraph 1 (new)
Paragraph 10 – subparagraph 1 (new)
Stresses the need to recognise the specific needs, vulnerabilities and rights of children in all virtual worlds likely to be accessed by children, as well as the heightened risks that they face due to their evolving capacities and developmental stages; recalls the responsibility of businesses for designing and operating online services and products that are safe for children, respect their rights and prioritise their best interest, by design and default, and that children belonging to different age groups should enjoy age appropriate experiences online; supports the development of measures that ease compliance and empower businesses to innovate and invest in delivering safe, age-appropriate products and services for children, notably regulatory instruments and industry standards on age-appropriate design and on privacy-preserving, effective, secure and proportionate age assurance mechanisms;
Amendment 78 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 – point 1 (new)
Paragraph 10 – point 1 (new)
(1) Stresses the need to recognise the specific needs, vulnerabilities and rights of women in all virtual worlds, as well as the increased risks they face because of their gender , such as sexual harassment, sexual assault, rape and violence; recalls that it is the responsibility of companies to design and operate online services and products that are safe for women and respect their fundamental rights, and supports the development of measures to combat rape culture in the metaverse
Amendment 80 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Believes that the debate over the need for the identification of users in virtual worlds should be a priority area in the development process of virtual worlds and that there should be a profound reflection on the possible configuration of this digital reality, bearing in mind that, in some cases, anonymity may be preferable; points out that anonymity in the digital world is always possible under a username (alias), behind which there must always be an individual identifiable only by the competent authorities in case of need; warns that anonymity in virtual worlds can create an environment that can facilitate and encourage child sexual exploitation and abuse as well as moral and sexual harassment and sexual assaults on women;
Amendment 83 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Believes that the debate over the need for the identification of users and contents (wheter illegal or not) in virtual worlds should be a priority area in the development process of virtual worlds and that there should be a profound reflection on the possible configuration of this digital reality, bearing in mind that, in some cases, anonymity may be preferable; points out that anonymity in the digital world is always possible under a username (alias), behind which there must always be an individual identifiable only by the competent authorities in case of need;
Amendment 87 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Reiterates the importance of protecting users’ personal data and privacy; points out that the General Data Protection Regulation3 might not be enough to address the challenges posed to data protection in virtual worlds; warns that access to sensitive data such as biometric and behavioural data, emotional reactions and haptic information could lead to new and intrusive ways of profiling, especially as interconnected virtual worlds operate on data sharing as they require an interplay of assets, experiences and common APIs; calls for greater attention to be paid to the data protection implications of user-generated content; _________________ 3 Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 April 2016 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data, and repealing Directive 95/46/EC (General Data Protection Regulation), OJ L 119, 4.5.2016, p. 1.
Amendment 92 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 – subparagraph 1 (new)
Paragraph 12 – subparagraph 1 (new)
Believe that the collection, processing and storage of personal data should be banned outright. Believes that advertising and targeted advertising should be regulated or even banned in the virtual world, particularly in relation to vulnerable groups such as children, as provided for in the Digital Services Act (Regulation (EU) 2022/2065 .
Amendment 94 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Warns about the potential health problems that may arise from accessing virtual worlds, such as including yet unknown ones like behavioural or cognitive effects, as well as known ones such as addiction and other mental health problems ranging from intensified emotional and physical distress due to haptic technologies or unsolicited interactions, to harshened body image and self-esteem issues, isolation, addiction, cybersickness or disturbances in sleep patterns, especially among minors and young people;
Amendment 100 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Recalls the potential of virtual worlds to promote children’s rights online with regards to their education, empowerment, participation and play, and offer unique experiences that can help minors develop their appetite for learning through, for example, learning through play, which can help them to develop skills in collaboration, communication, critical thinking, innovation and confidence; underlines the importance of protecting minors in virtual worlds, especially against risks of abuse, harassment and bullying; exposure to violent, sexist, racism and pornographic content; warns about the difficulties in reporting and moderation, as well as the impact of excessive use of virtual worlds on children’s mental and physical health; notes the need of research on the impact of virtual reality and other technologies on cognitive and behavioural development, and the need of a safety by design approach for ageappropriate applications and experiences through the recognition
Amendment 106 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 – subparagraph 1 (new)
Paragraph 14 – subparagraph 1 (new)
Calls for a ban on access to virtual worlds for children under 13, along the lines of that applied to social networks;
Amendment 113 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Calls on the Commission to conduct an assessment of how to ensure that the infrastructure needed is delivered to consumers; highlights that a true single market for telecoms is key in this regard; calls on the Commission to conduct a study of the legislative framework applicable to virtual worlds and assess potential gaps, notably in the protection of vulnerable groups such as children, and support the development of regulatory instruments and industry standards on ageappropriate design and privacypreserving, effective, secure and proportionate age assurance mechanisms.
Amendment 120 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 – subparagraph 1 (new)
Paragraph 16 – subparagraph 1 (new)
warns of the dangers of financial transactions involving cryptocurrencies, particularly fraud and scams;
Amendment 123 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Points out that the production of the devices needed to access virtual worlds requires resources such as rare earths and other mineral raw materials; welcomes in this sense the presentation of the Commission proposal for a regulation establishing a framework for ensuring a secure and sustainable supply of critical raw materials (COM(2023)0160); stresses that investments in resources such as rare earths and other future mineral raw materials must comply with forthcoming regulations on the due dilligence and to ban products made with forced labour on the EU market
Amendment 129 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Recalls the need to take advantage of technological advances to reduce the energy consumption and environmental footprint of the activities related to the production, use and development of virtual worlds, such as advanced recycling techniques and renewable energies; recalls the need to respect the right to repairability of objects in order to extend their lifespan;
Amendment 132 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 – subparagraph 1 (new)
Paragraph 19 – subparagraph 1 (new)
Calls on the Commission to conduct an enquiry into the environmental impact of virtual worlds and digital pollution in particular