The European Commission has taken an important step towards transparency in the digital sphere with the implementation of the Digital Services Act (DSA), which establishes a harmonized framework of transparency and accountability for digital services across the European Union. This legislation, aimed at protecting users and promoting clear and responsible content moderation practices, requires service providers to offer detailed and standardized information about their content moderation processes.
Mandatory Transparency Reports for Digital Services
The Digital Services Act introduces a transparency reporting system that all intermediary service providers, from social networks to search engines, must comply with, specifying their content moderation practices. Among the most affected platforms are very large online platforms (VLOPs) and large online search engines (VLOSEs), who will be required to publish detailed reports twice a year starting in 2025.
These reports will include data such as the number of removed contents, the accuracy of automated moderation systems, account cancellations, and the composition of moderation teams. Furthermore, the law stipulates that data must be presented in a comparable and uniform manner, allowing users and authorities to consistently assess the moderation practices of each provider.
Elimination of Inconsistencies and Standardization of Data
Previously, differences in formats and categories of reports from digital services hindered the evaluation and comparison of practices across platforms. Now, with the new Implementing Regulation, the European Commission has standardized both the content of the reports and the reporting periods, eliminating previous inconsistencies.
The providers of VLOP and VLOSE will have to follow specific reporting templates and a uniform schedule to facilitate the assessment of their content moderation practices. This harmonization will come into effect on July 1, 2025, and the first standardized reports will be published in early 2026.
Additional Transparency Measures
In addition to transparency reports, the Digital Services Act establishes other requirements that enhance clarity in the operation of these digital services. These include the obligation to publish the average number of monthly users, provide details on the parameters used in recommendation systems, and grant access to certain data for independent researchers. These measures aim to promote a better understanding and oversight of how platforms manage and recommend content to their users.
Moreover, the regulation requires providers to include rationale statements in the DSA Transparency Database to justify their content moderation decisions, and starting in 2025, these disclosures must follow the new standardized templates and data categories.
A Step Towards a Safer and More Transparent Internet
With this new regulation, the European Commission aims to strengthen transparency and accountability in the digital environment. The DSA represents a significant shift in the regulation of digital platforms in Europe, aligning user rights with transparency requirements for companies in order to promote a safer and more accessible online environment.
For digital service providers, this law represents a significant adaptation in their reporting and moderation systems, which will enable them to improve their relationship with users and meet the growing expectations for transparency in the digital age.
You can consult the implementing regulation and guidelines at this link.