EU Digital Services Act duties begin for largest online platforms

The European Union's Digital Services Act began applying on 25 August 2023 to the first group of designated very large online platforms and very large online search engines. The European Commission had identified services reaching at least 45 million monthly users in the EU, triggering enhanced obligations.

Covered companies were required to assess and mitigate systemic risks involving illegal content, fundamental rights, electoral processes, public health and other harms. They also faced rules on advertising transparency, recommender systems, independent audits, data access for vetted researchers and protections for minors.

The DSA does not make platforms automatically liable for every user post or require removal of all controversial speech. It combines conditional intermediary protections with due-process, notice and risk-management duties. Illegal content remains defined by EU or national law rather than by the DSA creating a universal speech code.

Designation and application were not the end of enforcement. The Commission could request information, open proceedings and impose penalties after investigation. Company risk reports and audits required substantive review rather than assumption of compliance from publication alone.

EU legal notices establish the designated services and date. Broader DSA obligations later applied to additional intermediaries. This item captures the first operational phase for the largest platforms, separate from the regulation's earlier enactment and any later infringement finding against a specific company.