Today, the Commission and the European Board for Digital Services endorsed the integration of the voluntary Code of Practice on Disinformation into the framework of the Digital Services Act (DSA). This integration will make the Code a benchmark for determining platforms' compliance with the DSA.
In January 2025, the signatories of the Code – including companies designated under the DSA as Very Large Online Platforms and Search Engines (VLOPEs) , such as Google, Meta, Microsoft and TikTok) – submitted all the necessary documents supporting their request for its conversion into a Code of Conduct under the DSA.
To be recognised as a DSA Voluntary Code of Conduct, the Code needs to fulfil the criteria set out in the Digital Services Act. The Commission and the Board adopted separate positive assessments in this regard, endorsing the official integration of the Code into the DSA framework.
With its integration, full adherence to the Code may be considered as an appropriate risk mitigation measure for signatories designated as VLOPs and VLOSEs under the DSA. As such, the Code will become a significant and meaningful benchmark for determining DSA compliance. Compliance with the commitments under the Code will also be part of the annual independent audit, which these platforms are subject to under the DSA.
The Code of Conduct on Disinformation
The Code is a widely recognised, robust set of commitments that together constitute a strong set of mitigation measures for DSA compliance. The value of these commitments lies in the fact that they are the result of an agreement between a broad set of actors, building on existing best industry practices. Taking into account the complexity and challenges related to tackling the spread of disinformation, the Code contains different, but interlinked areas:
- Demonetisation: cutting financial incentives for purveyors of disinformation;
- Transparency of political advertising: more efficient labelling for users to recognise political advertising;
- Ensuring the integrity of services: reducing fake accounts, bot-driven amplification, malicious deep fakes and other manipulative behaviour used to spread disinformation;
- Empowering users, researchers and the fact-checking community: better tools for users to identify disinformation, wider access to data, fact-checking coverage across the EU.
These measures combat disinformation risks while fully upholding free speech and enhancing transparency.
Recommendations for the implementation of the Code
As part of their respective assessments of whether the Code meets the criteria specified under Article 45 of the DSA, the Commission and the European Board for Digital Services encourage the signatory platforms to take into account several recommendations when implementing the Code of Conduct on Disinformation.
This includes promptly finalising the Rapid Response System to cover all national elections and crisis and implementing it effectively; a swift Taskforce discussion and concrete follow-up regarding their commitments in the key areas mentioned above; and providing all the necessary data to fill the gaps in their reporting and to allow the further development and efficient measurement of structural indicators – including new ones.
Next Steps
The Code conversion will take effect from 1 July 2025, making its commitments auditable from that date onwards. This timing will allow a synchronisation of the auditing of the Code's commitments with the DSA audit for the relevant providers of VLOPs and VLOSEs.
The Commission and the Board will monitor and evaluate the achievement of the Code's objectives, in line with Article 45 of the DSA.
Background
In 2018, for the first time ever, representatives of online platforms, leading tech companies and players in the advertising industry joined forces to tackle disinformation on a voluntary and self-regulatory basis. Through a set of commitments, signatories put forward the first iteration of the Code of Practice on Disinformation.
Based on the Commission Guidance , the Code was substantially strengthened in June 2022, when it was presented and signed by 34 signatories. The Code has since then a growing signatory base, with 42 signatories to date.
As part of the 2022 Code, signatories agreed to establish a framework for close collaboration through a Permanent Taskforce. The Code and its Taskforce has since proved its effectiveness in exchanging information and cooperation between signatories. In particular, the Rapid Response System of the Code proved to be a very effective tool especially during the European elections and it is allowing civil society organisations, fact-checkers and online platforms to cooperate regarding time-sensitive content that they deem to present threats to the integrity of the electoral process.
