European Union: Issued Commission request for information to 17 Very Large Online Platforms and Search Engines regarding Compliance with Data Access Provisions of the Digital Services Act

On 18 January 2024, the European Commission sent a request for information to 17 Very Large Online Platforms and Search Engines (VLOPs and VLOSEs), including AliExpress, Amazon Store, AppStore, Bing, Booking.com, Facebook, Google Search, Google Play, Google Maps, Google Shopping, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube and Zalando. The investigation focuses on the platforms' compliance with the data access provisions of the Digital Services Act (DSA). The platforms must provide information on the measures taken to comply with the obligation of granting eligible researchers access to publicly accessible data on their online interface without undue delay. The Commission requires this information by 8 February 2024, and based on the assessment of the responses, will determine the next steps.