Source URL: https://algorithmwatch.org/en/reality-check-dsa-turns-three/
Source: AlgorithmWatch
Title: Reality check and a special present: The Digital Services Act turns three.
Feedly Summary: Berlin, October 2, 2025. On October 4, 2025, the Digital Services Act (DSA) will celebrate its third anniversary. Although it is not perfect, AlgorithmWatch considers the DSA to be a landmark of digital regulation. Together with others, the organization has a special gift for the DSA. Together with the Mozilla Foundation and the DSA40 Data […]
AI Summary and Description: Yes
Summary: The text discusses the significance of the Digital Services Act (DSA) in regulating internet content and the recent initiative by AlgorithmWatch and partners to monitor content on major online platforms. This initiative seeks to enhance transparency and accountability in algorithmic decision-making, particularly concerning the systemic risks posed by Generative AI.
Detailed Description: The text outlines several key points regarding the Digital Services Act (DSA) and its implications for digital regulation, transparency in content moderation, and the potential risks associated with Generative AI in the media landscape.
– **Third Anniversary of the DSA**: On October 4, 2025, the DSA celebrates its third anniversary. AlgorithmWatch considers it a significant milestone in digital regulation, despite its imperfections.
– **Mass Request Initiative**: AlgorithmWatch, in collaboration with the Mozilla Foundation and the DSA40 Data Access Collaboratory, has launched a mass request aimed at obtaining daily overviews of the most viral posts across various EU member states on major online platforms. This initiative underscores the importance of civil society access to public data to understand algorithmic impacts.
– **Importance of Data Access**: The DSA mandates that platforms must provide access to public data without undue delay. Accessibility of such data is crucial for identifying online risks and understanding content promotion dynamics.
– **Challenges with Platform Compliance**: The text highlights ongoing issues with platforms like X (formerly Twitter), which often refuse or provide inadequate data, which hampers efforts to research harmful online trends.
– **Risk Assessment Requirements**: The DSA obliges large online platforms to conduct risk assessments. However, initial reports have been criticized for lacking actionable insights on systemic risks, particularly those arising from Generative AI applications that could threaten professional journalism.
– **Concerns Over Algorithmic Influence**: The increasing presence of Generative AI summaries in search engines is viewed as a potential systemic risk to reliable journalism. As traffic to credible news sites diminishes, the viability of traditional journalism is jeopardized.
– **Dissent against Algorithm Transparency**: There are broader concerns regarding how opaque algorithms can affect public discourse, potentially leaning towards anti-democratic influences.
– **Call for Improvement of DSA**: While AlgorithmWatch acknowledges the existence of the DSA as a positive development, there is a call for enhanced capabilities and regulatory effectiveness by its next anniversary.
These insights are valuable for security, privacy, and compliance professionals, especially in understanding the intersection of digital regulation and algorithmic accountability, as well as the challenges of implementing effective governance in a rapidly evolving technological landscape.