The Digital Services Act (DSA) represents a landmark legislative framework in the European Union, aimed at regulating online platforms, enhancing transparency, and mitigating systemic risks associated with digital services. The Act aligns with broader EU regulatory efforts, including the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Act, positioning it as a cornerstone of digital governance. A key objective is to create a harmonized internal market that prevents regulatory fragmentation while ensuring consumer protection and fundamental rights. The DSA introduces obligations for intermediary services, including very large online platforms (VLOPs) and very large online search engines (VLOSEs). Moreover, the regulation mandates due diligence measures such as transparency reporting, algorithmic accountability, and user rights protections. Transparency mechanisms include the publication of terms and conditions databases, the Statement of Reasons repository, and advertising libraries. Moreover, the DSA enforces structured risk assessment and mitigation strategies, particularly for systemic risks such as illegal content dissemination, disinformation, and fundamental rights violations. A core component of the DSA is its approach to content moderation, introducing user empowerment mechanisms such as Trusted Flaggers, internal complaint-handling systems, and out-of-court dispute resolution bodies. Additionally, the Regulation includes crisis response provisions enabling swift intervention by the European Commission in extraordinary circumstances. To ensure compliance, the DSA establishes independent audit requirements and risk-based oversight mechanisms, reinforcing platform accountability. This Chapter aims to give an overview and comprehensive introduction to these provisions.

The rise of digital platforms has transformed political campaigning, introducing complex regulatory challenges. This paper presents a comprehensive taxonomy for analyzing political content in the EU’s digital electoral landscape, aligning with the requirements set forth in new regulations, such as the Digital Services Act (DSA). Using a legal doctrinal methodology, we construct a detailed codebook that enables systematic content analysis across user-generated and political ad content to assess compliance with regulatory mandates.

More people voted in 2024 than any other year in human history, while often relying on the internet for political information. This combination resulted in critical challenges for democracy. To address these concerns, we designed an exhibition that applied interactive experiences to help visitors understand the impact of digitization on democracy. This late-breaking work addresses the research questions: 1) What do participants, exposed to playful interventions, think about these topics? and 2) How do people estimate their skills and knowledge about countering misinformation? We collected data in 5 countries through showcases held within weeks of relevant 2024 elections. During visits, participants completed a survey detailing their experiences and emotional responses. Participants expressed high levels of self-confidence regarding the detection of misinformation and spotting AI-generated content. This paper contributes to addressing digital literacy needs by fostering engaging interactions with AI and politically relevant issues surrounding campaigning and misinformation.