EU DSA study finds major gaps in social media transparency reporting
All 8 largest platforms fail on data quality under EU's new transparency rules
Deep Dive
A study of transparency reporting by the eight largest social media platforms in the European Union under the Digital Services Act found that all platforms had issues with data formatting, timeliness, consistency, and completeness. Some platforms submitted contrasting information across different reporting mechanisms. Despite harmonization, many previously identified transparency issues remain unresolved.
Key Points
- All 8 largest EU social media platforms failed on at least one key transparency dimension (formatting, timeliness, consistency, completeness)
- Some platforms used differing reporting procedures across DSA mechanisms, resulting in conflicting submissions
- Many previously documented transparency issues remain unresolved despite the 2026 harmonization update
Why It Matters
Without reliable transparency data, DSA audits cannot hold platforms accountable for content moderation and algorithmic risks.