With the adoption of the landmark new set of European Union rules for a safer and more accountable online environment, a network of civil society organisations gathered to discuss the challenges and opportunities presented by the Digital Services act (DSA) regarding its implementation at the national level. This open letter is the result of our collaboration aimed at strengthening the harmonisation of the DSA implementation process across European Union member states.
The importance of this debate is underscored by the tight timetable. Recently, on the 17th of February, the deadline for online platforms to publish the number of monthly active users expired. Furthermore, the deadline for EU member states to appoint Digital Services Coordinators is less than a year away.
We recognise the urgency of setting up the Commission’s oversight system for very large online platforms. However, this should not come at the cost of sidelining the member states’ role; they have to set up independent Digital Services Coordinators, which have significant oversight tasks to fulfil. Therefore, we would like to contribute to the debate with a set of recommendations representing a common position of 14 European civil society organisations and independent experts.