Digital Services Act
In force European Union · In force Nov 16, 2022 · no upcoming deadlines
Deadlines
Summaries for reference, not legal advice. Check the official text.
What it does
Layered obligations for intermediary services: notice-and-action for illegal content, statements of reasons, complaint handling, transparency reporting, and ad and recommender transparency. Profiling-based ads to minors and ads based on sensitive data are banned. Very large online platforms and search engines (45M+ EU users) must also run annual systemic-risk assessments and audits and give researchers data access.
- Who it applies to
- Intermediary services offered to EU recipients (mere conduit, caching, hosting, online platforms, marketplaces, search engines). VLOP/VLOSE tier: 45 million or more average monthly active EU recipients, designated by the Commission. Micro and small enterprises are exempt from some platform duties.
- Penalties
- Up to 6% of annual worldwide turnover for failure to comply. Up to 1% for incorrect, incomplete or misleading information or failure to submit to inspection. Periodic penalty payments up to 5% of average daily worldwide turnover (Arts 52, 74).
- Enforced by
- European Commission (VLOPs/VLOSEs); national Digital Services Coordinators; European Board for Digital Services
- Official name
- Regulation (EU) 2022/2065 on a Single Market for Digital Services (Digital Services Act)
- Citation
- OJ L 277, 27.10.2022, p. 1
- Topics
- online-safety, children, privacy
Research notes
The exact compliance date for the Aug 2026 designations depends on the notification date (four months after notification); the Commission says 'by January 2027', so no exact deadline row. The 31 Aug 2026 date is the date of the Commission news item.
Related
Questions about Digital Services Act
- What are the Digital Services Act compliance deadlines?
- Nov 16, 2022: DSA enters into force. Feb 17, 2023: Platforms publish EU user numbers. Apr 25, 2023: First VLOP/VLOSE designations. Feb 17, 2024: DSA applies to all intermediary services. Aug 31, 2026: ChatGPT designated as VLOSE; Reddit and Roblox as VLOPs.
- When does Digital Services Act take effect?
- Digital Services Act took effect on Nov 16, 2022.
- Who does Digital Services Act apply to?
- Intermediary services offered to EU recipients (mere conduit, caching, hosting, online platforms, marketplaces, search engines). VLOP/VLOSE tier: 45 million or more average monthly active EU recipients, designated by the Commission. Micro and small enterprises are exempt from some platform duties.
- What are the penalties under Digital Services Act?
- Up to 6% of annual worldwide turnover for failure to comply. Up to 1% for incorrect, incomplete or misleading information or failure to submit to inspection. Periodic penalty payments up to 5% of average daily worldwide turnover (Arts 52, 74).