The Digital Services Act sets rules for online intermediaries in the EU and has applied in full since 17 February 2024. A site that only publishes its own content is usually not an intermediary service; hosting services and platforms are.
| Law | Digital Services Act (Regulation (EU) 2022/2065) |
| Regulator | European Commission and national Digital Services Coordinators |
| In force since | 17 February 2024 |
| Penalties | Commission (very large platforms/search engines): fines up to 6% of global annual turnover, periodic penalties up to 5% of average daily turnover, up to 1% for incorrect information. Other services: penalties set by each Member State (not verified here). |
Every hosting service must offer a way to report illegal content (notice and action, Art. 16) and explain its decisions (Art. 17), whatever its size. All intermediaries need contact points for authorities and users (Art. 11 and 12). The Commission’s guidelines on protecting minors (Art. 28) recommend age verification for pornographic content.
Not legal advice. This page summarises and links to primary sources; it does not tell you what the law requires of your specific site.