With the Digital Services Act (DSA), big tech platforms will begin to face obligations related to their behaviour. Aimed at making the Internet safer, more accountable and transparent, the DSA targets all digital services, from social networks, to app stores and content-sharing platforms. The DSA requires that these ‘online platforms’ take more responsibility regarding illegal information (goods, services, rental homes, texts, audio and audiovisual content, and more) offered on their services.

The DSA also lays out important transparency requirements on the terms and conditions and recommender systems employed by these services to control access to and findability of content online. Furthermore, the DSA establishes certain rights for the users of such services, in particular when their content is removed of otherwise restricted.

Public service media (PSM) increasingly rely on third-party platforms to get their content and services to their audiences, in particular to the younger generation. With this handbook, the EBU aims to inform on the most relevant DSA provisions for PSM and how they may draw on them in their business operations and online activities.

This public version of our Digital Services Act (DSA) Handbook (see the Members' version here) is directed at PSM employees that work with third-party online platforms in the broadest sense, whether on the business, technical or legal side, and should provide answers to the most pressing questions they may have concerning the DSA.