The EU Digital Services Act (DSA) is a European Union regulation that came into force in 2024.

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 The DSA applies to almost all digital services that operate in or provide services to users in the European Union.

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The DSA introduces a structured set of duties for online platforms, with obligations scaling according to size and risk.

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A Very Large Online Platform (VLOP) is defined in the DSA as an online service with more than 45 million average monthly active users in the EU — roughly 10% of the EU population.

 What are the penalties for non-compliance with the DSA?

The UK Online Safety Act (OSA), passed in 2023, is the United Kingdom’s flagship online safety law.

While both the DSA (EU) and OSA (UK) address online safety, their focus and enforcement differ.

 Dispute resolution bodies act as independent overseers for unresolved appeals.

 Both the DSA (EU) and OSA (UK) require appeals, but the emphasis differs:
DSA: Appeals must be available for all users, with structured escalation to out-of-court dispute resolution bodies.

 The DSA requires platforms to respond to appeals “without undue delay.” While the regulation doesn’t specify exact deadlines, regulators expect timely handling, often within days or weeks depending on case volume.

Both the DSA (EU) and OSA (UK) require appeals, but the emphasis differs:
DSA: Appeals must be available for all users, with structured escalation to out-of-court dispute resolution bodies.

 Automation can make DSA appeals processes scalable and compliant.

The DSA recognises that not all notices are genuine.

Trusted flaggers are organisations or individuals designated by EU authorities as reliable reporters of illegal content.

Whenever content is removed or an account is restricted under the DSA, platforms must provide a statement of reasons.

The DSA requires platforms to give users a clear and fair appeals process whenever content or accounts are restricted.

A compliance reporting dashboard centralises all the data needed for DSA obligations.

Under the DSA, platforms must provide transparency in two directions:

Failing to publish transparency reports exposes companies to legal, financial, and reputational risks.

AI can significantly reduce the burden of compliance reporting by:
Automatically classifying enforcement actions and tagging them with policy categories.

Platforms can use compliance automation tools to collect, aggregate, and publish the data required by the DSA.

Both the DSA (EU) and OSA (UK) require transparency, but the focus is different:
DSA: Standardised annual reports with specific metrics such as takedowns, appeals, and active users.

A DSA transparency report must contain specific metrics that show how moderation systems are working.

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All platforms in scope of the DSA must publish transparency reports at least once every 12 months.

A statement of reasons is a notice that platforms must give users whenever their content or account is restricted.

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 Transparency is a central theme of the DSA.

A DSA transparency report is a publicly available document that online platforms must publish at least once a year.

 The DSA recognises the different capacities of companies based on size.

 “Safety by design” in the DSA means building digital services in ways that reduce risk and protect users, especially minors, from the start.

Risk assessments must be conducted at least once a year by VLOPs and VLOSEs.

The DSA introduces a crisis response mechanism for extraordinary situations such as pandemics, terrorist attacks, or armed conflicts.

 The DSA specifies a wide range of risks that platforms must consider, including:
Illegal content

Mitigation is the second half of the risk assessment process.

Companies must maintain detailed records of all appeals under the DSA.

 Risk assessments are structured evaluations that Very Large Online Platforms (VLOPs) and Very Large Online Search Engines (VLOSEs) must carry out under the DSA.

Crowdfunding platforms that host user content or seller pages are typically online platforms under the DSA.

Costs vary by risk, features, and geography.

 In the UK, the Online Safety Act applies to user-to-user and search services that operate in the UK, which typically includes online games with chat, UGC, voice, or social features.

NetzDG is a German law from 2017 that targets certain illegal content categories and imposes fast removal timelines and transparency reporting for large social networks operating in Germany.

Online marketplaces must go beyond standard notice and action.

 Australia’s Online Safety Act is enforced by the eSafety Commissioner

Singapore uses the Online Safety (Miscellaneous Amendments) Act and a Code of Practice for Online Safety administered by IMDA.

India’s IT Rules 2021 and later amendments impose duties on intermediaries and “Significant Social Media Intermediaries” with more than 5 million users.

In 2025, a few frameworks shape most platform obligations worldwide.

The DSA is a broad platform regulation covering illegal content handling, transparency, research access, and marketplace seller checks across the EU.

 AI can enhance risk monitoring by detecting patterns and anomalies that human teams might miss.

The DSA distinguishes between two kinds of risks:
Content-level risks: Individual harmful or illegal items, such as a single post containing CSAM or a fraudulent listing.

The DSA recognises the importance of independent expertise.

Preparation for DSA audits requires structured governance.

Digital Services Coordinators and the European Commission can audit how platforms conduct risk assessments.