The Digital Services Act (DSA) is the first regulation within the EU that combats illegal content on platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and others, holding these platforms accountable. As a Trusted Flagger within the framework of the DSA, ÖIAT is a reliable player and can report problematic content. These reports must be given priority and throughly investigated by the platforms. At the same time, ÖIAT has been a central point of contact for digital security since 1997. With our initiatives such as Saferinternet.at, Watchlist Internet, Internet Ombudsstelle, and digitaleSenior:innen and through our proximity to target groups, it acts as an early warning system for digital risks in Austria.

Since the DSA came into force, authorities have been turning to civil society organizations such as the ÖIAT with relevant questions. The problems pretaining to the DSA are often known, but difficult to grasp. Due to limited resources, practical experience has been passed on through ad hoc methods – in-depth research and analysis that could be used for regulatory purposes is lacking. This makes DSA enforcement difficult.

The project DSA-Monitor creates a central analysis and knowledge hub to close this gap. Focusing on the key topics of child and youth protection and barriers faced by Trusted Flaggers, the goal is to prepare sound, evidence-based knowledge for digital platform oversight and provide targeted support to authorities in DSA enforcement.