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11 NEWS 13.7.2023 AMAZON was among the first 17 com- panies to be designated a VLOP in late April, e online retailer has taken legal action to have the designation under the region's Digital Services Act (DSA) re- moved. Facebook, Twitter, Apple's App Store, Google Play, YouTube, Alibaba's AliExpress and German retailer Zalan- do are all included, among others, in the list. Amazon is the first US company to sue the EU over DSA rules, although Zalan- do filed a similar suit last month. Being designated a VLOP means a platform has added responsibilities to protect its users from illegal content and products, hate speech and more. Amazon has stressed that its business model is based on retail rather than advertising. Speaking to e Register, a spokesperson said: "e DSA was de- signed to address systemic risks posed by very large companies with advertis- ing as their primary revenue and that distribute speech and information." e company said it supports the Eu- ropean Commission's goal to protect customers from illegal products and content, but does not consider itself a VLOP. e spokesperson added that other large EU retailers, which it said do more business in the region than Ama- zon, haven't been given the designation. Amazon believes the VLOP designa- tion would mean the platform was un- fairly singled out and forced to meet 'onerous administrative obligations that don't benefit EU consumers'. e com- pany said it already protects customers from illegal products, and abides by other EU regulations. "VLOP rules are directed at other business models," Am- azon argued. e European Commission said: "e scope of the DSA is very clear and is de- fined to cover all platforms that expose their users to content, including the sale of products or services, which can be il- legal. For marketplaces as for social net- works, very wide user reach increases the risks and the platforms' responsibil- ities to address them." Amazon's need to comply with DSA requirements should take effect in late August, by which time, all designated VLOPs 'will need to adapt their sys- tems, resources, and processes for com- pliance, set up an independent system of compliance … [and] complete the first annual risk assessment exercise to examine risks such as how illegal con- tent might be disseminated through their service.' Amazon would also be required to add further protections for users and extend protections for minors, ceasing targeted advertising to children and performing regular risk assessments on the negative mental health effects the platform may have on under-age users. Amazon's case will be decided by the EU General Court, where the complaint was filed. TEN days after the start of the un- precedented riots in France in late June, 11,300 claims were reported, amounting to a total cost of €650 million, according to France As- sureurs. France Assureurs noted that claims on professional property account for 55% of this total cost, and claims on local authority property account for 35%. e federation stated that the first claims received five days after the outbreak of violence were mainly for damage to vehicles. But by 7 July, 10 days after the start of the riots, the number of claims had doubled to 11,300, compared with the estimate of 3 July. e total cost of claims declared to date has hit €650 million. France Assureurs suggested that the cost of damage declared following this urban violence is already more than three times higher than that of the claims caused by the four weeks of rioting in the autumn of 2005. ough, the nature of the claims is "very different" from that of the 2005 riots, when vehicle damage and fire accounted for 82% of claims, at a much lower total cost of €204 mil- lion. In a written statement, France Assureurs said, "Since June 27, our country has been confronted with scenes of urban violence and looting of unprecedented intensity. "France Assureurs and its members express their support for all the vic- tims of these events. Insurers are ful- ly mobilized to support their policy- holders whose property has suffered damage as a result of these riots. "France Assureurs' crisis unit is in contact with public authorities in all territories to answer any in- surance-related questions that may arise following these extremely vio- lent events." Florence Lustman, President of France Assureurs, commented, "Since June 27, and for almost a week, France has faced scenes of ex- ceptional violence. "I would like to express my support for all the victims of these events, some of whom have seen their life's work destroyed. My support also goes to all the mayors of our com- munes, on the front line in the face of these riots. "90% of the cost of this urban vio- lence relates to the 3,900 properties of professionals and local authorities affected. "e nature of the losses linked to the violence of the last few days is therefore very different from what our country experienced in 2005." Amazon disputes EU categorisation as a Very Large Online Platform Amazon has been designated a VLOP, defined under the Digital Services Act as being large enough to reach 10% of the EU's population, or around 45m customers. France riot total claims cost reaches €650 million

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