EU workshop gathers support and scrutiny for the DSA
Global civil society is rallying behind the DSA’s risk-based approach as a fairer way to govern digital spaces.
A packed conference centre in Brussels hosted over 200 stakeholders on 7 May 2025, as the European Commission held a workshop on the EU’s landmark Digital Services Act (DSA).
The pioneering law aims to protect users online by obliging tech giants—labelled as Very Large Online Platforms and Search Engines (VLOPSEs)—to assess and mitigate systemic risks their services might pose to society at least once a year, instead of waiting for harmful outcomes to trigger regulation.
Rather than focusing on banning content, the DSA encourages platforms to improve internal safeguards and transparency. It was designed to protect democratic discourse from evolving online threats like disinformation without compromising freedom of expression.
Countries like Ukraine and Moldova are working closely with the EU to align with the DSA, balancing protection against foreign aggression with open political dialogue. Others, such as Georgia, raise concerns that similar laws could be twisted into tools of censorship instead of accountability.
The Commission’s workshop highlighted gaps in platform transparency, as civil society groups demanded access to underlying data to verify tech firms’ risk assessments. Some are even considering stepping away from such engagements until concrete evidence is provided.
Meanwhile, tech companies have already rolled back a third of their disinformation-related commitments under the DSA Code of Conduct, sparking further concern amid Europe’s shifting political climate.
Despite these challenges, the DSA has inspired interest well beyond EU borders. Civil society groups and international institutions like UNESCO are now pushing for similar frameworks globally, viewing the DSA’s risk-based, co-regulatory approach as a better alternative to restrictive speech laws.
The digital rights community sees this as a crucial opportunity to build a more accountable and resilient information space.
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