European Union: Federal Network Agency announced investigation into compliance of very large online platforms and search engines' content moderation policies with Digital Services Act

On 24 January 2025, the Federal Network Agency (FNA) in its capacity as the Digital Services Coordinator (DSC) for Germany, announced an investigation into the compliance of very large online platforms and search engines with content moderation obligations under the Digital Services Act (DSA). This announcement followed a roundtable discussion in Berlin with the European Commission, attended by representatives from Google (YouTube), Meta (Facebook, Instagram), TikTok, X, and other platforms, alongside national authorities and civil society organisations. The dialogue focused on potential breaches of the DSA related to the upcoming German federal elections in February 2025, including failure to remove illegal content or unfairly block accounts. The FNA stated its intention to monitor platform activities and report any violations to the European Commission, which, under the DSA, holds supervisory authority. Similar election-related roundtables have been conducted in other EU member states to ensure implementation readiness.