EU reaches deal on new legislation to combat illegal content online

The European Council has said it has reached a provisional political agreement with the European Parliament on a new legislation to combat hate speech, disinformation and other harmful content online.

The legislation, named the Digital Services Act (DSA), "aims to protect the digital space against the spread of illegal content, and to ensure the protection of users' fundamental rights," the European Council added on Saturday in a press release.

The agreement was reached after negotiators from the council and the parliament agreed on a provisional text for new rules to make the Internet a safer space for European citizens. Talks began on Friday and continued till the early hours of Saturday, Xinhua news agency reported.