Since August 28, very large online platforms (VLOPs) like Instagram, TikTok and co. must comply with the new DSA requirements. Most of the 19 designated platforms and services issued (big) public announcements of their implemented changes. However, whether these hold up is a different matter entirely — as researchers Martin Degeling and Anna Semanova found out when investigating TikTok.

I can only urge researchers to make use of their new data access rights to scrutinize whether or not VLOPs comply. And, if you need help getting started, on September 14, we are launching a brand new Data Knowledge Hub for Monitoring Online Discourse, where you will also find the code that Degling and Semanova used for monitoring TikTok. That and more on (German translation available): https://upgradedemocracy.de/en/very-large-online-platforms-pledge-compliance-with-dsa-researchers-must-put-that-to-a-test/