Stories from the DSC Advisory Board: Slightly bruised on its second birthday

The European Union's Digital Services Act (DSA), now two years old, has initiated a significant shift in how online platforms operate, aiming to foster greater user protection and market fairness. While progress has been observed, including initial enforcement actions and foundational frameworks for research data access, significant hurdles remain in ensuring the regulation's full effectiveness across the bloc. Key to the DSA's implementation is the role of Digital Services Coordinators (DSCs) and advisory bodies like Germany's DSC-Beirat. Despite these mechanisms, the enforcement process is often slow, with numerous administrative investigations ongoing and few concluded. The framework for researchers to access platform data has been established, but practical implementation challenges persist, impacting the ability to comprehensively analyze systemic risks. The impact of the DSA extends to a broad range of stakeholders, including users, civil society organizations, researchers, and the platforms themselves. While the act provides new avenues for redress and transparency, organizations contributing evidence of DSA violations face potential repression. The ongoing evolution of advisory bodies, with reduced representation in some national contexts, also raises questions about the breadth of input in policy enforcement. Looking ahead, the effectiveness of the DSA hinges on sustained political will and streamlined procedural execution. The establishment of more dispute resolution bodies and trusted flagger mechanisms is under consideration, which could strengthen the DSA's capacity to mediate user-platform disagreements and prioritize content moderation concerns. Continued collaboration between regulatory bodies and civil society will be crucial for robust enforcement and a healthier digital ecosystem.