Established by the provisions of the Digital Services Act (DSA), the content moderation Transparency Database has been shared as open source. The DSA creates content moderation obligations for “very large online platforms” (VLOPs) and search engines (VLSEs). The objective of the regulation is to mitigate disinformation and harm online.
Created so that companies identified as very large online platforms and search engines (VLOPs & VLSEs) can fulfil their obligations to communicate on their moderation decisions, this database will enhance transparency towards consumers. Platforms are required to submit their statements without undue delay after making a decision to take down content, and the Transparency Database’s software systems thus need to allow for nearly real-time updates.
As the DSA Transparency Database collects and analyses statements of reasons for content take-downs, users should benefit from a greater understanding of the law and platforms rules. It should also allow users to observe the rates and statistics related to infringing content. The API of the database can be used to create further ways for platforms, users, and researchers to access the database’s functionalities.
The European Commission conducted a consultation this summer, asking for feedback on the scope and structure of the information to be collected, the procedures, methods, and timelines for submitting statements of reasons into the database. Based on the input of the consultation, the database schema has been updated to include updated nomenclature. You can learn more about the results of the consultation process in this report.
This process illustrates the potential of open source software to act as regulatory technology, one that allows transparency and collaboration towards democratic objectives. As the moderation of content is one of the key questions of social media regulation, the role played by open source in that regulatory work can teach us how to better deal with collaborative and democratic approaches.
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