Impact of the Digital Services Act on your online community
If passed, this act may have substantial effect on how online communities are managed and moderated. These measures aim to create a safe and trustworthy online space for people to engage.
What is the Digital Services Act?
A proposed act in the European Union, still being discussed, that would affect online communities including forums, discussion boards, social media sites (especially larger platforms), and other organizations that have users in the European Union regarding digital ads and moderation, particularly the accountability, and transparency of them, in addition to other things.
For community users
The DSA could...
Provide more transparency and protection in content moderation
Regulate and make targeted advertising more transparent
Aid in creating a safer community space by allowing freedom of speech while also discourging harmful or illegal content
For community admins
The DSA could require or need to consider...
Providing transparency reports for online advertising and content moderation
Understanding and adapting targeted marketing strategies as they may be heavily regulated for better transparency or outright banned
Adding to or train moderation teams in best practices and how to better mitigate harmful or illegal content
Learning about technology available to make reporting and moderation easier and more effective
What is the timeline for Digital Services Act?
The Digital Services Act (DSA) is currently being negoitated alongside the Digital Markets Act (DMA). While no measures have passed legislation yet, it's likely that some of these regulations will be put into place in the next two years as of this Fall 2021. It's best to remain informed and be ready to take action if affected.
Takeaways for moving forward
change is happening
The trend towards data privacy and creating a safer online experience is growing along with discontent with large social media platforms.other regulations are developing
More regulations are being developed as well like the Digital Markets Act and the Online Safety Bill in the United Kingdom.align your community
Start preparing for and making changes that align with consumer desires and potential regulations.
