To coincide with the Digital Services Act (DSA) becoming directly applicable across the EU on 17 February 2024, the DSA Observatory at the Institute for Information Law, University of Amsterdam, will hold a two-day conference on ‘The DSA and Platform Regulation’ at the Amsterdam Law School on 15-16 February 2024. The DSA is the EU’s […]
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Carl Vander Maelen (Ghent University, Faculty of Law and Criminology) and Rachel Griffin (Sciences Po Law School) The chronicle of a retreat foretold has come to pass. Following months of rumours about Twitter’s willingness or capacities to comply with EU tech regulation after its new owner Elon Musk fired most of the company’s […]
https://dsa-observatory.eu/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/DSAO-header-logo-300x257.png00adminhttps://dsa-observatory.eu/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/DSAO-header-logo-300x257.pngadmin2023-06-12 14:40:082023-06-12 16:05:17Twitter’s retreat from the Code of Practice on Disinformation raises a crucial question: are DSA codes of conduct really voluntary?
On 23 February 2023, the DSA Observatory and the AI, Media and Democracy Lab organised an online workshop on online journalism and the role of online platforms. Several expert speakers discussed the Digital Services Act, (Article 17 of) the European Media Freedom Act (EMFA), and the safety of journalists and protection of news media content […]
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by Natali Helberger,* Max van Drunen, Ronan Fahy, Laurens Naudts, Stanislaw Piasecki, Theresa Seipp (all University of Amsterdam, Institute for Information Law (IViR)) In December last year, Twitter suspended without notification the accounts of several leading journalists for alleged violations of the terms of service through their reporting. The move was widely criticised by journalists, […]
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Max van Drunen, Natali Helberger, Wolfgang Schulz, and Claes de Vreese The EU is set to complement the DSA with a new regulation on (targeted) political advertisements. In this piece we highlight how the regulation’s definition of political advertisements and enforcement mechanisms threaten freedom of expressio Right now, the exclamation above is just a title. […]
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In this blogpost, Julian Jaursch explains why Digital Services Coordinators should establish strong research and data units. To detect and mitigate infringements of the Digital Services Act (DSA), member states’ Digital Services Coordinators (DSCs) need a deep understanding of how platforms work and what potential risks are associated with them. Considering also that the DSA contains a multitude of reports and databases to monitor and analyze, member states should equip their DSCs with research and data units that can develop knowledge on platform risks, conduct data analyses, participate in expert communities and support EU-level enforcement efforts.
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Last week, we sent our first DSA Observatory newsletter to our subscribers. Please consider subscribing to our newsletter to receive updates on our activities and research and to follow the broader developments around the Digital Services Act. You can read an online version of our first newsletter here. Photo by Mathyas Kurmann on […]
In this blog post, Doris Buijs and Ilaria Buri look into the two crisis provisions in the DSA based on which platforms must adopt certain crisis mitigation measures. What do they entail and what can be expected of those provisions in times of multiple and systemic crises?
“The DSA’s capacities for free media and safe journalists online: realistic or utopian?” A DSA Observatory & AI, Media & Democracy Lab expert workshop 23 February 2023, 3:30 pm – 5:00 pm (CET) The DSA Observatory and the AI, Media and Democracy Lab are organising an online invite-only workshop on online journalism and the role […]
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The Digital Services Act was finally published in the Official Journal of the European Union on 27 October 2022. It is the result of a years-long drafting and negotiation process, and opens a new chapter: that of its enforcement, practicable access to justice, and potential to set global precedents. The Act has been portrayed as […]
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Paddy Leerssen The DSA’s most demanding rules are directed at the largest platforms: Very Large Online Platforms (VLOPs) and Very Large Online Search Engines (VLOSEs). This blog post offers a quick overview on two of the most important obligations for these large services, with more than 45 million monthly average active users: risk management, and […]
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DSA Observatory – IViR’s researchers João Pedro Quintais, Naomi Appelman and Ronan Fahy published a new article “Using Terms and Conditions to Apply Fundamental Rights to Content Moderation” (forthcoming in German Law Journal). In this article, they critically explore questions around the enforceability of fundamental rights via T&Cs through the prism of Article 14 DSA. […]
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After almost two years, the DSA has entered into force. In the mean time, a new legislative proposal has been published by the Commission in September 2022: the Media Freedom Act (MFA). Both regulations caused a lot of debate, about – among other things – the so-called “media exemption”. This media exemption could give media a special position, as they would get prior notice from platforms before content moderation decisions. The exemption did not make it into the DSA, but the debate around the exemption has been revitalized with the newly proposed Article 17 MFA, which seems similar to the earlier discussed exemption. In this blog post, we will look into how the MFA tries to define “media service providers”, what Article 17 MFA actually entails and if the critical commenters calling Article 17 MFA the new media exemption can be justified. We will see that this discussion is a bit more complex, mainly due to the complicated interplay between the MFA and the Platform to Business (P2B) Regulation.
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The European Commission has clarified its focus for implementing the DSA. The Commission will first work on implementing procedural regulation and delivering delegated acts on the supervisory fees and independent external audits. Four other implementing and delegated acts and five guidance documents will take a lower priority. Pim ten Thije provides a handy overview of the focus areas and other acts and guidelines to come.
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In this second part of the blog post on the implications of the DSA on journalism, we look into the safety of journalists and other media actors. Online harassment of journalists is a widely-reported topic, but nevertheless still increasing problem. What DSA provisions are the most promising for ensuring and increasing that much-needed safe climate for journalism online? And what actors, beside online platforms, can play their part using some of the DSA provisions to benefit journalism?
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The Digital Services Act designates VLOPs and VLOSEs based on their number of ‘average monthly active recipients’. How can and should online platforms calculate their number of ‘AMARs’? What role will embedded content and auto-completed search results play? And will the discounting of bots, scrapers and ‘double’ visitors lead to extra tracking of platforms’ recipients? This blog dives deep into the concept of average monthly active recipients.
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Twitter’s ‘Moderation Research Consortium’ now accepts applications by all interested researchers. DSA Observatory Researcher Pim ten Thije looks into the TMRC’s compliance with Article 40 of the Digital Services Act on data access and scrutiny. He recaps the DSA’s access obligations for researchers and governments and discusses what Twitter will need to change to be compliant.
This blog post looks into the implications of the DSA on the media, in specific: protection of journalistic and media content under the DSA. What (procedural) rights can be used by journalists to protect their content online? And what are the platforms’ obligations to protect media freedom and freedom of expression?
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The results of this empirical survey suggest that the available remedies in the Netherlands offer insufficient access to justice for the online harm people experience.
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Prof. Natali Helberger published a blog post on the Media@LSE blog titled: How Council of Europe guidelines on managing the impact of digital technologies on freedom of expression complement the DSA. Read on for a short introduction and more.
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DSA Observatory Researcher Pim ten Thije clarifies the DSA’s adoption, entry into force and application dates. When will the new far-reaching obligations apply to (very large) online platforms, when will national regulators be required to be in place, when will the European Commission assume its new regulatory powers, and when exactly will the DSA be the law of the European Union?
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Prof. Natali Helberger, a contributor to the DSA Observatory and Prof. Wolfgang Schulz of the Hans-Bredow Institute, Hamburg published a blog post on the Media@LSE blog titled: Understandable, but still wrong: How freedom of communication suffers in the zeal for sanctions. The authors discuss the ban of Russia Today (RT) and Sputnik by the Council […]
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Ilaria Buri and Joris van Hoboken Introduction The supervision and enforcement structure of the DSA proposal has been described from the beginning as a strong one. Elements which contribute to strengthening the enforcement chapter include the involvement of the European Commission in enforcing the rules vis à vis the very large online platforms (VLOPs) and […]
DSA Observatory’s Joris van Hoboken wrote a new essay for the Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI), “European Lessons in Self-Experimentation: From the GDPR to European Platform Regulation”. The essay is part of The Four Domains of Global Platform Governance, an essay series that examines platform governance from four distinct policy angles: content, data, competition […]
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dr. Joan Barata The process of adoption of the Digital Services Act (DSA) has just reached a very important and advanced stage. In the early hours of 23 April 2022, the so-called trilogue negotiations successfully ended with an agreement among the EU legislative bodies. The text proposed by the European Commission in mid-December 2020 […]
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Bengi Zeybek, Joris van Hoboken and Ilaria Buri (Institute for Information Law, IViR – University of Amsterdam) Introduction Platforms’ content moderation decisions affect individual users and society at large in various ways. Content may be unduly removed or accounts may be suspended arbitrarily; politicians and influencers may be deplatformed, or artists may be shadowbanned. […]
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The Markup‘s founder Julia Angwin interviewed Joris van Hoboken, one of the leaders of the DSA Observatory project, to discuss the recent political agreement reached by the EU co-legislators on the Digital Services Act (“DSA”) regulation. Newsletter: Hello World by Julia Angwin Understanding the Digital Services Act April 30, 2022 08:00 ET Hello, friends, You […]
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Report on the DSA Observatory & IViR expert roundtable of 18 March 2022 Ilaria Buri, Isabel Lereno Monteiro Guedes and Lucas Balluff In reaction to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, on March 1st 2022, the Council of the EU passed a series of measures targeting the dissemination of Russian media outlets Russia Today (RT) […]
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Dr. Joan Barata 1. Introduction The process of adoption of the DSA has now entered the phase of the so-called trilogue negotiations, aiming at reaching an agreement between the two most relevant legislative bodies: the Council and the Parliament. This phase started after the adoption by the Parliament, on 22 January 2022, of a […]
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Melinda Rucz (Institute for Information Law, IViR – University of Amsterdam) The position of Hungary on the DSA Proposal It appears from the comments sent by the Hungarian government to the Digital Services Act (DSA) proposal that a central concern for Hungary is the potentially disproportionate effect of content moderation efforts on free online expression. […]
João Pedro Quintais (University of Amsterdam – Institute for Information Law (IViR)/DSA Observatory) and Sebastian Felix Schwemer (University of Copenhagen, Centre for Information and Innovation Law (CIIR); University of Oslo, Norwegian Research Center for Computers and Law (NRCCL)) published a new paper, in which they explore the interaction of the Digital Services Act’s rules with […]
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Bengi Zeybek and Joris van Hoboken (Institute for Information Law, IViR – University of Amsterdam) Introduction Effective implementation and enforcement of the DSA are crucial to realizing its goals: promotion of fundamental rights and innovation in digital services, and harmonization of rules to improve and safeguard the functioning of the internal market. The DSA has been subject […]
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On behalf of the European Copyright Society, DSA Observatory’s researcher João Pedro Quintais (IViR, University of Amsterdam), together with Alexander Peukert (Goethe-Universität Frankfurt am Main), Martin Husovec (London School of Economics), Martin Kretschmer (CREATe, University of Glasgow), Peter Mezei (University of Szeged), issued a comment on “Copyright and the Digital Services Act”. Copyright enforcement online is a major issue in the context […]
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Ilaria Buri (Institute for Information Law, IViR, University of Amsterdam) On 14 December 2021, the Internal Market and Consumer Protection (IMCO) Committee of the European Parliament adopted its final report on the Digital Services Act (DSA) proposal. The report – together with new additional amendments proposed over the past weeks – will be voted upon […]
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Jesper Lund (IT-Pol Denmark) The position of Denmark on the DSA proposal The Danish government must seek a mandate from the European Affairs Committee of the Danish Parliament on all EU legislative dossiers. In the Danish government, the DSA proposal is primarily handled by the Ministry of Industry, Business and Financial Affairs. Denmark supports the […]
Ilaria Buri and Joris van Hoboken On last 25 November, the Council (Competitiveness) meeting approved its negotiating position (general approach text) on the DSA. Far from turning the Commission’s proposal upside down, the Council’s amendments clarify and expand certain (limited) aspects of the proposal, but do not fundamentally alter the content and structure of […]
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Ronan Ó Fathaigh (Institute for Information Law, University of Amsterdam) The purpose of this report is to provide a brief overview of the Irish government’s position on the European Commission’s proposal for a Digital Services Act (DSA). It first sets out Ireland’s position based on publicly-available documents and media reporting; then provides the broader […]
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Wednesday 24 November 2021, 15.30-17.00 (to be held online) This workshop will focus on the intersection of content moderation with access to justice in the European context. It ties in with the current debate on the Digital Services Act (DSA) which is meant to protect European citizens when they use or are impacted by […]
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Clémént Perarnaud (Brussels School of Governance, BSOG-VUB) Since the first rounds of negotiations on the DSA proposal, Spain has been an active member state in the Council of the EU at the working group level. Spain is among the countries which shared a position paper to the rest of the delegations in the Council […]
Ilaria Buri (Institute for Information Law, University of Amsterdam) The French position on the DSA proposal It shouldn’t come as a surprise that France is playing a very active and central role in the current discussions on the DSA package. Not only is the DSA one of the defining proposals of this EU legislature, but […]
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Naomi Appelman (Institute for Information Law, IViR – University of Amsterdam) The position of Germany on the DSA proposal Recent reporting shed light onto the German position in the EU negotiations for the Digital Services Act (DSA) (see Netzpolitik, Tagesspiegel and Euractiv). Central to its position in these negotiations is the possible tension between Germany’s […]
By Britt van den Branden, Sophie Davidse and Eva Smit* This blog is the third and final part. See blog 1 here and blog 2 here. After analysing the Community Guidelines and Terms of Use (hereafter: CG and ToU) of six platforms in the first blogpost and applying them to case studies in the second […]
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This discussion paper by IViR – DSA Observatory researchers Ilaria Buri and Joris van Hoboken provides a critical overview of the context and substantive provisions of the Digital Services Act (“DSA”) draft regulation presented by the European Commission in December 2020. This analysis aims at informing the public debate around this landmark legislative initiative, […]
Lidia Dutkiewicz, Jan Czarnocki (Center for IT and IP law – CiTiP, KU Leuven) The position of Poland on the DSA proposal The Polish government’s proposals for amendment of the DSA proposal have been relatively significant. In its position published on 14 April 2021, the Polish government points out to the following key recommendations which […]
Ilaria Buri (Institute for Information Law, IViR – University of Amsterdam) The Italian position on the DSA proposal After the presentation of the DSA and DMA proposal in December 2020, the European Policies Department and the Ministry of Economic Development were identified as the governmental departments respectively responsible for the definition of the Italian position […]
Joris van Hoboken (Institute for Information Law, IViR – University of Amsterdam) The position of the Netherlands on the DSA proposal The Netherlands supports the revision of the ECD framework and the main policy objectives and overall choices made by the European Commission in the proposal for the DSA. It attaches weight to the economic […]
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Digital Services Act (DSA) Observatory Institute for Information Law (IViR, University of Amsterdam) “The Digital Services Act: Implications for Freedom of Expression” Date: 14 October 2021 Time: 16.00 – 17.30 (CEST) Online Seminar (Zoom) Programme 15.50 Get-together (Zoom open) 16.00 Introduction: Prof. Joris van Hoboken (IViR) 16.10 Expert Panel: Dr. Joan Barata […]
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Bengi Zeybek* Introduction Given the size of platforms, the scale at which they operate, and the immense amount of user content created and shared online, automated tools are an integral part of platforms’ content moderation and curation processes. Platforms use automated tools to identify and analyse content in order to enforce their terms of […]
https://dsa-observatory.eu/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/DSAO-header-logo-300x257.png00adminhttps://dsa-observatory.eu/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/DSAO-header-logo-300x257.pngadmin2021-10-01 08:10:422021-10-01 08:28:03The DSA and the risk-based approach to content regulation: Are we being pulled into more advanced automation?
In September 2021, the Verfassungsblog and the Max Planck Institute for Innovation and Competition co-hosted an online symposium, “To Break Up or Regulate Big Tech? Avenues to Constrain Private Power in the DSA/DMA Package”. “The concentration of private power in the digital realm is not tenable – on this there is consensus. It extends across […]
https://dsa-observatory.eu/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/DSAO-header-logo-300x257.png00adminhttps://dsa-observatory.eu/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/DSAO-header-logo-300x257.pngadmin2021-09-13 07:31:162021-10-01 07:42:36Platform research access in Article 31 of the Digital Services Act – Sword without a shield?
In September 2021, the Verfassungsblog and the Max Planck Institute for Innovation and Competition co-hosted an online symposium, “To Break Up or Regulate Big Tech? Avenues to Constrain Private Power in the DSA/DMA Package”. “The concentration of private power in the digital realm is not tenable – on this there is consensus. It extends across […]
https://dsa-observatory.eu/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/DSAO-header-logo-300x257.png00adminhttps://dsa-observatory.eu/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/DSAO-header-logo-300x257.pngadmin2021-09-10 20:27:032021-09-30 20:39:45Using Terms and Conditions to apply Fundamental Rights to Content Moderation: Is Article 12 DSA a Paper Tiger?
In September 2021, the Verfassungsblog and the Max Planck Institute for Innovation and Competition co-hosted an online symposium, “To Break Up or Regulate Big Tech? Avenues to Constrain Private Power in the DSA/DMA Package”. “The concentration of private power in the digital realm is not tenable – on this there is consensus. It extends across […]
https://dsa-observatory.eu/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/DSAO-header-logo-300x257.png00adminhttps://dsa-observatory.eu/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/DSAO-header-logo-300x257.pngadmin2021-09-03 20:05:412022-07-19 16:12:00The DSA Proposal’s Impact on Digital Dominance
By Britt van den Branden, Sophie Davidse and Eva Smit* This blog is part two of three. See part 1 here. Part 3 will follow soon. In part one of this blog series, we showed that the Community Guidelines and Terms of Use (hereafter: CG and ToU) of six well known very large online […]
https://dsa-observatory.eu/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/DSAO-header-logo-300x257.png00adminhttps://dsa-observatory.eu/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/DSAO-header-logo-300x257.pngadmin2021-08-20 13:46:482021-08-20 13:46:48In between illegal and harmful: a look at the Community Guidelines and Terms of Use of online platforms in the light of the DSA proposal and the fundamental right to freedom of expression (Part 2 of 3)
By Britt van den Branden, Sophie Davidse and Eva Smit* This blogpost is part one of three. Blogposts 2 and 3 will follow soon. Just before last year’s Christmas day, the European Commission published a proposal for a Digital Services Act (DSA). The proposal introduces a new range of harmonised obligations for digital services […]
https://dsa-observatory.eu/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/DSAO-header-logo-300x257.png00adminhttps://dsa-observatory.eu/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/DSAO-header-logo-300x257.pngadmin2021-08-02 07:32:502021-08-02 07:33:32In between illegal and harmful: a look at the Community Guidelines and Terms of Use of online platforms in the light of the DSA proposal and the fundamental right to freedom of expression (Part 1 of 3)
Joan Barata This blog post synthesises the main arguments and conclusions developed in a report commissioned to the author by the Plataforma en Defensa de la Libertad de Información (PDLI), fully available here. Introduction The UN Human Rights Council declared in its resolution 32/13 of 1 July 2016 that “(…) the same rights that […]
https://dsa-observatory.eu/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/DSAO-header-logo-300x257.png00adminhttps://dsa-observatory.eu/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/DSAO-header-logo-300x257.pngadmin2021-07-27 10:24:382021-07-27 10:24:38The Digital Services Act and Its Impact on the Right to Freedom of Expression: Special Focus on Risk Mitigation Obligations
By Catherine Armitage, Johnny Ryan and Ilaria Buri The relationship between the spread of harmful content and the business models that fund it is a preoccupation for many policymakers today. Political momentum is building around the idea that banning ‘surveillance advertising’ could be the answer. This has translated into a variety of different […]
https://dsa-observatory.eu/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/DSAO-header-logo-300x257.png00adminhttps://dsa-observatory.eu/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/DSAO-header-logo-300x257.pngadmin2021-07-05 15:19:282022-07-19 16:12:07Online advertising: These three policy ideas could stop tech amplifying hate
AWO data rights agency put together an overview of all the proposals related to online advertising in the DSA, DMA and other legislation. The overview is an invaluable source to follow the latest developments on the discussion concerning the regulation of online advertising and ad-funded business models, currently taking place in Europe and the US. […]
https://dsa-observatory.eu/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/DSAO-header-logo-300x257.png00adminhttps://dsa-observatory.eu/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/DSAO-header-logo-300x257.pngadmin2021-07-02 16:40:432021-07-05 12:48:45AWO overview of all ongoing policy proposals to reform online advertising
Digital Services Act (DSA) Observatory Institute for Information Law (IViR, University of Amsterdam) in collaboration with Centre for Intellectual Property and Information Law (CIPIL, University of Cambridge) “An Endless Odyssey? Content Moderation Without General Content Monitoring” 30 June 2021, 4:30-5:30 pm (CEST, Amsterdam) Online Seminar via Zoom, link will be shared beforehand Underlying paper […]
https://dsa-observatory.eu/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/clark-van-der-beken-chcyjyRQV74-unsplash-scaled.jpg19202560adminhttps://dsa-observatory.eu/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/DSAO-header-logo-300x257.pngadmin2021-06-23 08:48:292022-07-19 16:12:1330 June 2021 – “An Endless Odyssey? Content Moderation Without General Content Monitoring”
Wikimedia, Reddit and VerticalScope are three online community platforms offering services where users are empowered to create content and enforce moderation rules. They organized an online event on “Community Content Moderation and the DSA”, which will take place on Tuesday 22 June, 17:00 – 18:15 CEST, to discuss how online communities can thrive despite […]
https://dsa-observatory.eu/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/DSAO-header-logo-300x257.png00adminhttps://dsa-observatory.eu/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/DSAO-header-logo-300x257.pngadmin2021-06-16 11:48:452022-07-19 16:12:37Joris van Hoboken to speak at event on “DSA & Community Content Moderation”
By Naomi Appelman, João Pedro Quintais, and Ronan Fahy, Institute for Information Law (IViR) As the European Court of Human Rights has emphasised, online platforms, such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, provide an “unprecedented” means for exercising freedom of expression online. Unfortunately, however, the systems operated by platforms, where (automated) decisions are taken […]
https://dsa-observatory.eu/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/DSAO-header-logo-300x257.png00adminhttps://dsa-observatory.eu/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/DSAO-header-logo-300x257.pngadmin2021-05-31 14:02:212022-07-19 16:13:19Article 12 DSA: Will platforms be required to apply EU fundamental rights in content moderation decisions?
On the 26th of May 2021 (16:45-18-45), the European Parliament’s Internal Market and Consumer Protection (IMCO) Committee will hold a workshop on “The Digital Services Act and the Digital Markets Act: A forward-looking and consumer-centered perspective”. Prof. Joris van Hoboken – one of the project leaders of the DSA Observatory at the Institute for […]
https://dsa-observatory.eu/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/DSAO-header-logo-300x257.png00adminhttps://dsa-observatory.eu/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/DSAO-header-logo-300x257.pngadmin2021-05-25 21:08:222022-07-19 16:13:30Prof. Joris van Hoboken to speak at the EP IMCO Committee workshop on “The DSA and DMA: A forward-looking and consumer-centered perspective”
by Paddy Leerssen, Institute for Information Law (IViR) Tucked away in the depths of the new DSA draft, Article 30 carries a title only an academic could love: ‘Additional online advertising transparency’. Please bear with me, because I want to argue that it represents a significant shift in the governance of online advertising. I’ll first […]
https://dsa-observatory.eu/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/DSAO-header-logo-300x257.png00adminhttps://dsa-observatory.eu/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/DSAO-header-logo-300x257.pngadmin2021-05-25 11:27:472022-07-19 16:13:36Platform ad archives in Article 30 DSA
Digital Services Act (DSA) Observatory at the Institute for Information Law (IViR) – University of Amsterdam 1 June 2021, 15:00-16:30 pm Online via Zoom, the link will be shared beforehand In 2019, the German Federal Cartel Office (FCO) decided that Facebook abuses its dominance in social media markets by undercutting legal standards of personal data protection. The appeal against this decision […]
https://dsa-observatory.eu/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/facebook-76532_640-e1621538696724.png213320adminhttps://dsa-observatory.eu/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/DSAO-header-logo-300x257.pngadmin2021-05-20 19:32:512022-07-19 16:13:421 June 2021 – The Facebook competition law case reaches the CJEU: Can EU competition law and personal data protection law reinforce each other?
João Pedro Quintais (University of Amsterdam; Institute for Information Law, IViR) and Sebastian Felix Schwemer (University of Copenhagen; Centre for Information and Innovation Law, CIIR; University of Oslo, Norwegian Research Center for Computers and Law, NRCCL) explore in a new paper how the Digital Services Act’s rules interact with existing sector-specific lex specialis rules. In […]
https://dsa-observatory.eu/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/DSAO-header-logo-300x257.png00adminhttps://dsa-observatory.eu/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/DSAO-header-logo-300x257.pngadmin2021-05-15 08:34:092021-05-26 08:52:59The Interplay between the Digital Services Act and Sector Regulation: How Special is Copyright?
The DSA Observatory at the Institute for Information Law (IViR) and the Amsterdam School of Communications Research (ASCoR) jointly organized a symposium on the potential of transparency disclosures for citizen empowerment, scheduled to take place on 18 May, 4:00–5:30 pm. Lawmakers on both sides of the Atlantic are staking a lot of hope on transparency […]
https://dsa-observatory.eu/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/jennifer-griffin-xePUAbiilko-unsplash-scaled.jpg18002560adminhttps://dsa-observatory.eu/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/DSAO-header-logo-300x257.pngadmin2021-04-23 14:17:252022-07-19 16:13:5518 May 2021 – “Potential of transparency disclosures for citizen empowerment” Symposium
Academic research and policy making each have their own dynamics and requirements. For academics that have relevant evidence and findings for the direct participants in the legislative process it can be a real challenge to find ways to effectively communicate their findings. In this online workshop, organized by the Digital Service Act Observatory, three insiders […]
https://dsa-observatory.eu/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/social-3408791_1920.jpg12801920adminhttps://dsa-observatory.eu/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/DSAO-header-logo-300x257.pngadmin2021-03-31 13:32:412022-07-19 16:14:0229 March 2021 – Workshop on “Effective Communication with Policymakers”
Digital Legal Lab researchers from all four partner universities are joining forces to address legal, regulatory and other questions around the Digital Services Act & Digital Markets Act. On Friday 9 April, researchers from the Digital Legal Lab will hold a first seminar in a series dedicated to the DSA and DMA proposals. The seminar […]
https://dsa-observatory.eu/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/seminar-series-5-1024x512-1.png5121024adminhttps://dsa-observatory.eu/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/DSAO-header-logo-300x257.pngadmin2021-03-29 07:46:252021-04-21 07:57:309 April 2021 – First Seminar of the Digital Legal Lab Seminar Series on DSA and DMA
Natali Helberger, Tom Dobber and Sanne Kruikemeier, together with Ellen Goodman and Sophie Minihold, tested the effectiveness of political ad disclosure labels. Online political advertisements are often opaque with respect to targeting and sponsorship. Citizens may not know that they are seeing a targeted political advertisement, that they were personally targeted, that the audience may […]
https://dsa-observatory.eu/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/element5-digital-T9CXBZLUvic-unsplash-scaled.jpg17072560adminhttps://dsa-observatory.eu/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/DSAO-header-logo-300x257.pngadmin2021-03-19 13:09:012022-07-19 16:14:09Effectiveness of Political Ad Disclosure Labels and the DSA proposal
Uva researchers Natali Helberger, Max van Drunen, Sanne Vrijenhoek and Judith Möller wrote a commentary on the Internet Policy Review on “Regulation of news recommenders in the Digital Services Act: empowering David against the Very Large Online Goliath”. Nowadays it is difficult to imagine the online world without recommendation algorithms. They filter and classify the […]
https://dsa-observatory.eu/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/DSAO-header-logo-300x257.png00adminhttps://dsa-observatory.eu/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/DSAO-header-logo-300x257.pngadmin2021-03-08 10:47:002022-07-19 16:14:15News Recommenders in the DSA – Commentary on Internet Policy Review
Call for papers: The DSA and Platform Regulation Conference 2024
/in EventsTo coincide with the Digital Services Act (DSA) becoming directly applicable across the EU on 17 February 2024, the DSA Observatory at the Institute for Information Law, University of Amsterdam, will hold a two-day conference on ‘The DSA and Platform Regulation’ at the Amsterdam Law School on 15-16 February 2024. The DSA is the EU’s […]
Twitter’s retreat from the Code of Practice on Disinformation raises a crucial question: are DSA codes of conduct really voluntary?
/in AnalysisCarl Vander Maelen (Ghent University, Faculty of Law and Criminology) and Rachel Griffin (Sciences Po Law School) The chronicle of a retreat foretold has come to pass. Following months of rumours about Twitter’s willingness or capacities to comply with EU tech regulation after its new owner Elon Musk fired most of the company’s […]
Report on workshop – Online journalism: Digital Services Act and European Media Freedom Act, 23 February 2023
/in Analysis, remainingOn 23 February 2023, the DSA Observatory and the AI, Media and Democracy Lab organised an online workshop on online journalism and the role of online platforms. Several expert speakers discussed the Digital Services Act, (Article 17 of) the European Media Freedom Act (EMFA), and the safety of journalists and protection of news media content […]
Expert opinion on draft European Media Freedom Act for stakeholder meeting 28 February 2023
/in Analysisby Natali Helberger,* Max van Drunen, Ronan Fahy, Laurens Naudts, Stanislaw Piasecki, Theresa Seipp (all University of Amsterdam, Institute for Information Law (IViR)) In December last year, Twitter suspended without notification the accounts of several leading journalists for alleged violations of the terms of service through their reporting. The move was widely criticised by journalists, […]
The EU is going too far with political advertising!
/in AnalysisMax van Drunen, Natali Helberger, Wolfgang Schulz, and Claes de Vreese The EU is set to complement the DSA with a new regulation on (targeted) political advertisements. In this piece we highlight how the regulation’s definition of political advertisements and enforcement mechanisms threaten freedom of expressio Right now, the exclamation above is just a title. […]
Here is why Digital Services Coordinators should establish strong research and data units
/in AnalysisIn this blogpost, Julian Jaursch explains why Digital Services Coordinators should establish strong research and data units. To detect and mitigate infringements of the Digital Services Act (DSA), member states’ Digital Services Coordinators (DSCs) need a deep understanding of how platforms work and what potential risks are associated with them. Considering also that the DSA contains a multitude of reports and databases to monitor and analyze, member states should equip their DSCs with research and data units that can develop knowledge on platform risks, conduct data analyses, participate in expert communities and support EU-level enforcement efforts.
DSA Observatory’s first newsletter
/in AnalysisLast week, we sent our first DSA Observatory newsletter to our subscribers. Please consider subscribing to our newsletter to receive updates on our activities and research and to follow the broader developments around the Digital Services Act. You can read an online version of our first newsletter here. Photo by Mathyas Kurmann on […]
The DSA’s crisis approach: crisis response mechanism and crisis protocols
/in AnalysisIn this blog post, Doris Buijs and Ilaria Buri look into the two crisis provisions in the DSA based on which platforms must adopt certain crisis mitigation measures. What do they entail and what can be expected of those provisions in times of multiple and systemic crises?
23 February 2023 – Expert workshop on “Online journalism: Digital Services Act & Media Freedom Act”
/in Events“The DSA’s capacities for free media and safe journalists online: realistic or utopian?” A DSA Observatory & AI, Media & Democracy Lab expert workshop 23 February 2023, 3:30 pm – 5:00 pm (CET) The DSA Observatory and the AI, Media and Democracy Lab are organising an online invite-only workshop on online journalism and the role […]
New open-access e-book “Putting the DSA into Practice: Enforcement, Access to Justice and Global Implications”
/in AnalysisThe Digital Services Act was finally published in the Official Journal of the European Union on 27 October 2022. It is the result of a years-long drafting and negotiation process, and opens a new chapter: that of its enforcement, practicable access to justice, and potential to set global precedents. The Act has been portrayed as […]
Counting the days: what to expect from risk assessments and audits under the DSA – and when?
/in AnalysisPaddy Leerssen The DSA’s most demanding rules are directed at the largest platforms: Very Large Online Platforms (VLOPs) and Very Large Online Search Engines (VLOSEs). This blog post offers a quick overview on two of the most important obligations for these large services, with more than 45 million monthly average active users: risk management, and […]
Using Terms and Conditions to Apply Fundamental Rights to Content Moderation
/in AnalysisDSA Observatory – IViR’s researchers João Pedro Quintais, Naomi Appelman and Ronan Fahy published a new article “Using Terms and Conditions to Apply Fundamental Rights to Content Moderation” (forthcoming in German Law Journal). In this article, they critically explore questions around the enforceability of fundamental rights via T&Cs through the prism of Article 14 DSA. […]
Article 17 Media Freedom Act & the Digital Services Act: aligned or alienated?
/in AnalysisAfter almost two years, the DSA has entered into force. In the mean time, a new legislative proposal has been published by the Commission in September 2022: the Media Freedom Act (MFA). Both regulations caused a lot of debate, about – among other things – the so-called “media exemption”. This media exemption could give media a special position, as they would get prior notice from platforms before content moderation decisions. The exemption did not make it into the DSA, but the debate around the exemption has been revitalized with the newly proposed Article 17 MFA, which seems similar to the earlier discussed exemption. In this blog post, we will look into how the MFA tries to define “media service providers”, what Article 17 MFA actually entails and if the critical commenters calling Article 17 MFA the new media exemption can be justified. We will see that this discussion is a bit more complex, mainly due to the complicated interplay between the MFA and the Platform to Business (P2B) Regulation.
European Commission Articulates Priorities for Implementing the DSA
/in AnalysisThe European Commission has clarified its focus for implementing the DSA. The Commission will first work on implementing procedural regulation and delivering delegated acts on the supervisory fees and independent external audits. Four other implementing and delegated acts and five guidance documents will take a lower priority. Pim ten Thije provides a handy overview of the focus areas and other acts and guidelines to come.
The Digital Services Act & the implications for the safety of journalists (Part 2)
/in AnalysisIn this second part of the blog post on the implications of the DSA on journalism, we look into the safety of journalists and other media actors. Online harassment of journalists is a widely-reported topic, but nevertheless still increasing problem. What DSA provisions are the most promising for ensuring and increasing that much-needed safe climate for journalism online? And what actors, beside online platforms, can play their part using some of the DSA provisions to benefit journalism?
Average monthly active recipients in the DSA: definition, grey areas, and how to calculate?
/in AnalysisThe Digital Services Act designates VLOPs and VLOSEs based on their number of ‘average monthly active recipients’. How can and should online platforms calculate their number of ‘AMARs’? What role will embedded content and auto-completed search results play? And will the discounting of bots, scrapers and ‘double’ visitors lead to extra tracking of platforms’ recipients? This blog dives deep into the concept of average monthly active recipients.
Twitter Alludes to Implementing Article 40, DSA (Data Access & Scrutiny)
/in AnalysisTwitter’s ‘Moderation Research Consortium’ now accepts applications by all interested researchers. DSA Observatory Researcher Pim ten Thije looks into the TMRC’s compliance with Article 40 of the Digital Services Act on data access and scrutiny. He recaps the DSA’s access obligations for researchers and governments and discusses what Twitter will need to change to be compliant.
The Digital Services Act and the Implications for News Media and Journalistic Content (Part 1)
/in AnalysisThis blog post looks into the implications of the DSA on the media, in specific: protection of journalistic and media content under the DSA. What (procedural) rights can be used by journalists to protect their content online? And what are the platforms’ obligations to protect media freedom and freedom of expression?
Empirical research in Content Moderation and Access to Justice: do the remedies fit the harms?
/in AnalysisThe results of this empirical survey suggest that the available remedies in the Netherlands offer insufficient access to justice for the online harm people experience.
Council of Europe guidelines on managing the impact of digital technologies on freedom of expression complement the DSA
/in AnalysisProf. Natali Helberger published a blog post on the Media@LSE blog titled: How Council of Europe guidelines on managing the impact of digital technologies on freedom of expression complement the DSA. Read on for a short introduction and more.
The Digital Services Act: Adoption, Entry into Force and Application Dates
/in AnalysisDSA Observatory Researcher Pim ten Thije clarifies the DSA’s adoption, entry into force and application dates. When will the new far-reaching obligations apply to (very large) online platforms, when will national regulators be required to be in place, when will the European Commission assume its new regulatory powers, and when exactly will the DSA be the law of the European Union?
The Council of the European Union’s ban of Russian media outlets: possible implications for the DSA
/in AnalysisProf. Natali Helberger, a contributor to the DSA Observatory and Prof. Wolfgang Schulz of the Hans-Bredow Institute, Hamburg published a blog post on the Media@LSE blog titled: Understandable, but still wrong: How freedom of communication suffers in the zeal for sanctions. The authors discuss the ban of Russia Today (RT) and Sputnik by the Council […]
The DSA supervision and enforcement architecture
/in AnalysisIlaria Buri and Joris van Hoboken Introduction The supervision and enforcement structure of the DSA proposal has been described from the beginning as a strong one. Elements which contribute to strengthening the enforcement chapter include the involvement of the European Commission in enforcing the rules vis à vis the very large online platforms (VLOPs) and […]
European Lessons in Self-Experimentation: From the GDPR to European Platform Regulation
/in AnalysisDSA Observatory’s Joris van Hoboken wrote a new essay for the Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI), “European Lessons in Self-Experimentation: From the GDPR to European Platform Regulation”. The essay is part of The Four Domains of Global Platform Governance, an essay series that examines platform governance from four distinct policy angles: content, data, competition […]
Is the DSA moving in the right direction?
/in Analysisdr. Joan Barata The process of adoption of the Digital Services Act (DSA) has just reached a very important and advanced stage. In the early hours of 23 April 2022, the so-called trilogue negotiations successfully ended with an agreement among the EU legislative bodies. The text proposed by the European Commission in mid-December 2020 […]
Redressing Infringements of Individuals’ Rights Under the Digital Services Act
/in AnalysisBengi Zeybek, Joris van Hoboken and Ilaria Buri (Institute for Information Law, IViR – University of Amsterdam) Introduction Platforms’ content moderation decisions affect individual users and society at large in various ways. Content may be unduly removed or accounts may be suspended arbitrarily; politicians and influencers may be deplatformed, or artists may be shadowbanned. […]
“Understanding the Digital Services Act” – The Markup’s Julia Angwin interviews Joris van Hoboken
/in AnalysisThe Markup‘s founder Julia Angwin interviewed Joris van Hoboken, one of the leaders of the DSA Observatory project, to discuss the recent political agreement reached by the EU co-legislators on the Digital Services Act (“DSA”) regulation. Newsletter: Hello World by Julia Angwin Understanding the Digital Services Act April 30, 2022 08:00 ET Hello, friends, You […]
“The European Union’s RT and Sputnik Ban: Necessary and Proportionate?”
/in AnalysisReport on the DSA Observatory & IViR expert roundtable of 18 March 2022 Ilaria Buri, Isabel Lereno Monteiro Guedes and Lucas Balluff In reaction to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, on March 1st 2022, the Council of the EU passed a series of measures targeting the dissemination of Russian media outlets Russia Today (RT) […]
Digital Services Act and the Protection of Fundamental Freedoms – Recommendations for the trilogue process
/in AnalysisDr. Joan Barata 1. Introduction The process of adoption of the DSA has now entered the phase of the so-called trilogue negotiations, aiming at reaching an agreement between the two most relevant legislative bodies: the Council and the Parliament. This phase started after the adoption by the Parliament, on 22 January 2022, of a […]
The DSA Proposal and Hungary
/in AnalysisMelinda Rucz (Institute for Information Law, IViR – University of Amsterdam) The position of Hungary on the DSA Proposal It appears from the comments sent by the Hungarian government to the Digital Services Act (DSA) proposal that a central concern for Hungary is the potentially disproportionate effect of content moderation efforts on free online expression. […]
The Interplay between the Digital Services Act and Sector Regulation: How Special is Copyright?
/in AnalysisJoão Pedro Quintais (University of Amsterdam – Institute for Information Law (IViR)/DSA Observatory) and Sebastian Felix Schwemer (University of Copenhagen, Centre for Information and Innovation Law (CIIR); University of Oslo, Norwegian Research Center for Computers and Law (NRCCL)) published a new paper, in which they explore the interaction of the Digital Services Act’s rules with […]
The Enforcement Aspects of the DSA, and its Relation to Existing Regulatory Oversight in the EU
/in AnalysisBengi Zeybek and Joris van Hoboken (Institute for Information Law, IViR – University of Amsterdam) Introduction Effective implementation and enforcement of the DSA are crucial to realizing its goals: promotion of fundamental rights and innovation in digital services, and harmonization of rules to improve and safeguard the functioning of the internal market. The DSA has been subject […]
European Copyright Society (ECS): Comment on “Copyright and the Digital Services Act Proposal”
/in AnalysisOn behalf of the European Copyright Society, DSA Observatory’s researcher João Pedro Quintais (IViR, University of Amsterdam), together with Alexander Peukert (Goethe-Universität Frankfurt am Main), Martin Husovec (London School of Economics), Martin Kretschmer (CREATe, University of Glasgow), Peter Mezei (University of Szeged), issued a comment on “Copyright and the Digital Services Act”. Copyright enforcement online is a major issue in the context […]
The European Parliament IMCO Committee’s compromise text on the DSA
/in AnalysisIlaria Buri (Institute for Information Law, IViR, University of Amsterdam) On 14 December 2021, the Internal Market and Consumer Protection (IMCO) Committee of the European Parliament adopted its final report on the Digital Services Act (DSA) proposal. The report – together with new additional amendments proposed over the past weeks – will be voted upon […]
The DSA proposal and Denmark
/in AnalysisJesper Lund (IT-Pol Denmark) The position of Denmark on the DSA proposal The Danish government must seek a mandate from the European Affairs Committee of the Danish Parliament on all EU legislative dossiers. In the Danish government, the DSA proposal is primarily handled by the Ministry of Industry, Business and Financial Affairs. Denmark supports the […]
The General Approach of the Council on the Digital Services Act
/in AnalysisIlaria Buri and Joris van Hoboken On last 25 November, the Council (Competitiveness) meeting approved its negotiating position (general approach text) on the DSA. Far from turning the Commission’s proposal upside down, the Council’s amendments clarify and expand certain (limited) aspects of the proposal, but do not fundamentally alter the content and structure of […]
The Digital Services Act proposal and Ireland
/in AnalysisRonan Ó Fathaigh (Institute for Information Law, University of Amsterdam) The purpose of this report is to provide a brief overview of the Irish government’s position on the European Commission’s proposal for a Digital Services Act (DSA). It first sets out Ireland’s position based on publicly-available documents and media reporting; then provides the broader […]
24 November 2021 – Expert Workshop “Access to Justice and Content Moderation”
/in EventsWednesday 24 November 2021, 15.30-17.00 (to be held online) This workshop will focus on the intersection of content moderation with access to justice in the European context. It ties in with the current debate on the Digital Services Act (DSA) which is meant to protect European citizens when they use or are impacted by […]
The DSA proposal and Spain
/in AnalysisClémént Perarnaud (Brussels School of Governance, BSOG-VUB) Since the first rounds of negotiations on the DSA proposal, Spain has been an active member state in the Council of the EU at the working group level. Spain is among the countries which shared a position paper to the rest of the delegations in the Council […]
The DSA proposal and France
/in AnalysisIlaria Buri (Institute for Information Law, University of Amsterdam) The French position on the DSA proposal It shouldn’t come as a surprise that France is playing a very active and central role in the current discussions on the DSA package. Not only is the DSA one of the defining proposals of this EU legislature, but […]
The DSA proposal and Germany
/in AnalysisNaomi Appelman (Institute for Information Law, IViR – University of Amsterdam) The position of Germany on the DSA proposal Recent reporting shed light onto the German position in the EU negotiations for the Digital Services Act (DSA) (see Netzpolitik, Tagesspiegel and Euractiv). Central to its position in these negotiations is the possible tension between Germany’s […]
In between illegal and harmful: a look at the Community Guidelines and Terms of Use of online platforms in the light of the DSA proposal and the fundamental right to freedom of expression (part 3 of 3)
/in AnalysisBy Britt van den Branden, Sophie Davidse and Eva Smit* This blog is the third and final part. See blog 1 here and blog 2 here. After analysing the Community Guidelines and Terms of Use (hereafter: CG and ToU) of six platforms in the first blogpost and applying them to case studies in the second […]
DSA Observatory discussion paper: “The DSA proposal: a critical overview”
/in AnalysisThis discussion paper by IViR – DSA Observatory researchers Ilaria Buri and Joris van Hoboken provides a critical overview of the context and substantive provisions of the Digital Services Act (“DSA”) draft regulation presented by the European Commission in December 2020. This analysis aims at informing the public debate around this landmark legislative initiative, […]
The DSA proposal and Poland
/in AnalysisLidia Dutkiewicz, Jan Czarnocki (Center for IT and IP law – CiTiP, KU Leuven) The position of Poland on the DSA proposal The Polish government’s proposals for amendment of the DSA proposal have been relatively significant. In its position published on 14 April 2021, the Polish government points out to the following key recommendations which […]
The DSA proposal and Italy
/in AnalysisIlaria Buri (Institute for Information Law, IViR – University of Amsterdam) The Italian position on the DSA proposal After the presentation of the DSA and DMA proposal in December 2020, the European Policies Department and the Ministry of Economic Development were identified as the governmental departments respectively responsible for the definition of the Italian position […]
The DSA proposal and the Netherlands
/in AnalysisJoris van Hoboken (Institute for Information Law, IViR – University of Amsterdam) The position of the Netherlands on the DSA proposal The Netherlands supports the revision of the ECD framework and the main policy objectives and overall choices made by the European Commission in the proposal for the DSA. It attaches weight to the economic […]
14 October 2021 – Expert Seminar “The DSA: Implications for Freedom of Expression”
/in EventsDigital Services Act (DSA) Observatory Institute for Information Law (IViR, University of Amsterdam) “The Digital Services Act: Implications for Freedom of Expression” Date: 14 October 2021 Time: 16.00 – 17.30 (CEST) Online Seminar (Zoom) Programme 15.50 Get-together (Zoom open) 16.00 Introduction: Prof. Joris van Hoboken (IViR) 16.10 Expert Panel: Dr. Joan Barata […]
The DSA and the risk-based approach to content regulation: Are we being pulled into more advanced automation?
/in AnalysisBengi Zeybek* Introduction Given the size of platforms, the scale at which they operate, and the immense amount of user content created and shared online, automated tools are an integral part of platforms’ content moderation and curation processes. Platforms use automated tools to identify and analyse content in order to enforce their terms of […]
Platform research access in Article 31 of the Digital Services Act – Sword without a shield?
/in AnalysisIn September 2021, the Verfassungsblog and the Max Planck Institute for Innovation and Competition co-hosted an online symposium, “To Break Up or Regulate Big Tech? Avenues to Constrain Private Power in the DSA/DMA Package”. “The concentration of private power in the digital realm is not tenable – on this there is consensus. It extends across […]
Using Terms and Conditions to apply Fundamental Rights to Content Moderation: Is Article 12 DSA a Paper Tiger?
/in AnalysisIn September 2021, the Verfassungsblog and the Max Planck Institute for Innovation and Competition co-hosted an online symposium, “To Break Up or Regulate Big Tech? Avenues to Constrain Private Power in the DSA/DMA Package”. “The concentration of private power in the digital realm is not tenable – on this there is consensus. It extends across […]
The DSA Proposal’s Impact on Digital Dominance
/in AnalysisIn September 2021, the Verfassungsblog and the Max Planck Institute for Innovation and Competition co-hosted an online symposium, “To Break Up or Regulate Big Tech? Avenues to Constrain Private Power in the DSA/DMA Package”. “The concentration of private power in the digital realm is not tenable – on this there is consensus. It extends across […]
In between illegal and harmful: a look at the Community Guidelines and Terms of Use of online platforms in the light of the DSA proposal and the fundamental right to freedom of expression (Part 2 of 3)
/in AnalysisBy Britt van den Branden, Sophie Davidse and Eva Smit* This blog is part two of three. See part 1 here. Part 3 will follow soon. In part one of this blog series, we showed that the Community Guidelines and Terms of Use (hereafter: CG and ToU) of six well known very large online […]
In between illegal and harmful: a look at the Community Guidelines and Terms of Use of online platforms in the light of the DSA proposal and the fundamental right to freedom of expression (Part 1 of 3)
/in AnalysisBy Britt van den Branden, Sophie Davidse and Eva Smit* This blogpost is part one of three. Blogposts 2 and 3 will follow soon. Just before last year’s Christmas day, the European Commission published a proposal for a Digital Services Act (DSA). The proposal introduces a new range of harmonised obligations for digital services […]
The Digital Services Act and Its Impact on the Right to Freedom of Expression: Special Focus on Risk Mitigation Obligations
/in AnalysisJoan Barata This blog post synthesises the main arguments and conclusions developed in a report commissioned to the author by the Plataforma en Defensa de la Libertad de Información (PDLI), fully available here. Introduction The UN Human Rights Council declared in its resolution 32/13 of 1 July 2016 that “(…) the same rights that […]
Online advertising: These three policy ideas could stop tech amplifying hate
/in AnalysisBy Catherine Armitage, Johnny Ryan and Ilaria Buri The relationship between the spread of harmful content and the business models that fund it is a preoccupation for many policymakers today. Political momentum is building around the idea that banning ‘surveillance advertising’ could be the answer. This has translated into a variety of different […]
AWO overview of all ongoing policy proposals to reform online advertising
/in AnalysisAWO data rights agency put together an overview of all the proposals related to online advertising in the DSA, DMA and other legislation. The overview is an invaluable source to follow the latest developments on the discussion concerning the regulation of online advertising and ad-funded business models, currently taking place in Europe and the US. […]
30 June 2021 – “An Endless Odyssey? Content Moderation Without General Content Monitoring”
/in EventsDigital Services Act (DSA) Observatory Institute for Information Law (IViR, University of Amsterdam) in collaboration with Centre for Intellectual Property and Information Law (CIPIL, University of Cambridge) “An Endless Odyssey? Content Moderation Without General Content Monitoring” 30 June 2021, 4:30-5:30 pm (CEST, Amsterdam) Online Seminar via Zoom, link will be shared beforehand Underlying paper […]
Joris van Hoboken to speak at event on “DSA & Community Content Moderation”
/in EventsWikimedia, Reddit and VerticalScope are three online community platforms offering services where users are empowered to create content and enforce moderation rules. They organized an online event on “Community Content Moderation and the DSA”, which will take place on Tuesday 22 June, 17:00 – 18:15 CEST, to discuss how online communities can thrive despite […]
Article 12 DSA: Will platforms be required to apply EU fundamental rights in content moderation decisions?
/in AnalysisBy Naomi Appelman, João Pedro Quintais, and Ronan Fahy, Institute for Information Law (IViR) As the European Court of Human Rights has emphasised, online platforms, such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, provide an “unprecedented” means for exercising freedom of expression online. Unfortunately, however, the systems operated by platforms, where (automated) decisions are taken […]
Prof. Joris van Hoboken to speak at the EP IMCO Committee workshop on “The DSA and DMA: A forward-looking and consumer-centered perspective”
/in EventsOn the 26th of May 2021 (16:45-18-45), the European Parliament’s Internal Market and Consumer Protection (IMCO) Committee will hold a workshop on “The Digital Services Act and the Digital Markets Act: A forward-looking and consumer-centered perspective”. Prof. Joris van Hoboken – one of the project leaders of the DSA Observatory at the Institute for […]
Platform ad archives in Article 30 DSA
/in Analysisby Paddy Leerssen, Institute for Information Law (IViR) Tucked away in the depths of the new DSA draft, Article 30 carries a title only an academic could love: ‘Additional online advertising transparency’. Please bear with me, because I want to argue that it represents a significant shift in the governance of online advertising. I’ll first […]
1 June 2021 – The Facebook competition law case reaches the CJEU: Can EU competition law and personal data protection law reinforce each other?
/in EventsDigital Services Act (DSA) Observatory at the Institute for Information Law (IViR) – University of Amsterdam 1 June 2021, 15:00-16:30 pm Online via Zoom, the link will be shared beforehand In 2019, the German Federal Cartel Office (FCO) decided that Facebook abuses its dominance in social media markets by undercutting legal standards of personal data protection. The appeal against this decision […]
The Interplay between the Digital Services Act and Sector Regulation: How Special is Copyright?
/in AnalysisJoão Pedro Quintais (University of Amsterdam; Institute for Information Law, IViR) and Sebastian Felix Schwemer (University of Copenhagen; Centre for Information and Innovation Law, CIIR; University of Oslo, Norwegian Research Center for Computers and Law, NRCCL) explore in a new paper how the Digital Services Act’s rules interact with existing sector-specific lex specialis rules. In […]
18 May 2021 – “Potential of transparency disclosures for citizen empowerment” Symposium
/in EventsThe DSA Observatory at the Institute for Information Law (IViR) and the Amsterdam School of Communications Research (ASCoR) jointly organized a symposium on the potential of transparency disclosures for citizen empowerment, scheduled to take place on 18 May, 4:00–5:30 pm. Lawmakers on both sides of the Atlantic are staking a lot of hope on transparency […]
29 March 2021 – Workshop on “Effective Communication with Policymakers”
/in EventsAcademic research and policy making each have their own dynamics and requirements. For academics that have relevant evidence and findings for the direct participants in the legislative process it can be a real challenge to find ways to effectively communicate their findings. In this online workshop, organized by the Digital Service Act Observatory, three insiders […]
9 April 2021 – First Seminar of the Digital Legal Lab Seminar Series on DSA and DMA
/in EventsDigital Legal Lab researchers from all four partner universities are joining forces to address legal, regulatory and other questions around the Digital Services Act & Digital Markets Act. On Friday 9 April, researchers from the Digital Legal Lab will hold a first seminar in a series dedicated to the DSA and DMA proposals. The seminar […]
Effectiveness of Political Ad Disclosure Labels and the DSA proposal
/in AnalysisNatali Helberger, Tom Dobber and Sanne Kruikemeier, together with Ellen Goodman and Sophie Minihold, tested the effectiveness of political ad disclosure labels. Online political advertisements are often opaque with respect to targeting and sponsorship. Citizens may not know that they are seeing a targeted political advertisement, that they were personally targeted, that the audience may […]
News Recommenders in the DSA – Commentary on Internet Policy Review
/in AnalysisUva researchers Natali Helberger, Max van Drunen, Sanne Vrijenhoek and Judith Möller wrote a commentary on the Internet Policy Review on “Regulation of news recommenders in the Digital Services Act: empowering David against the Very Large Online Goliath”. Nowadays it is difficult to imagine the online world without recommendation algorithms. They filter and classify the […]