The EU Commission is determined to enforce the Digital Services Act (DSA), which it refers to as a “platform basic law”. In a speech last week, Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton expressed disappointment with online platforms that have failed to disclose their user numbers or claimed that they did not reach relevant thresholds. Breton emphasized that the Commission will not tolerate delaying tactics and will take action against companies that do not comply.
Until February 17, online platform operators had the opportunity to disclose their user numbers. Based on these figures, the Commission will designate the providers that are considered to be very large platforms. These platforms must share in the financial burden of their own supervision and adhere to particularly strict requirements.
Last month, Amazon, Apple, AliExpress, and Pinterest disclosed having more than 45 million European users, but did not provide exact figures. Platforms such as Spotify, Booking.com, eBay, Telegram, and adult entertainment sites YouPorn, Pornhub, and OnlyFans claim to have fewer users than the benchmark but did not report concrete user statistics.
The DSA establishes EU-wide due diligence requirements for all digital services that offer consumers goods, services, or content. It includes faster deletion of illegal content and mandates that very large online platforms conduct risk assessments and minimize identified dangers to democracy, public security, fundamental rights, and the protection of minors.
Around 20 companies, including Amazon, Apple, Facebook, TikTok, Twitter, and Google, already meet the criteria for very large online platforms. The Commission plans to release a complete list in the coming weeks. Breton noted that this is an opportunity to demonstrate whether European rules work in practice and deliver tangible results to citizens.
