On 29 May 2026, the European Commission launched a targeted consultation on the draft guidelines on trusted flaggers under the Digital Services Act (hereinafter ‘DSA’).
Background
The DSA provides, in particular, for the possibility of designating organisations with specific expertise in identifying certain categories of illegal online content as ‘trusted flaggers’. This enables them to help platforms identify illegal content on their services more easily and quickly, as reports they submit within their recognised area of expertise must be processed as a priority. To ensure clarity on how this mechanism operates, and more specifically with regard to eligibility criteria, rules protecting the integrity of trusted flaggers and technical and practical obligations, the European Commission has drawn up draft guidelines. These are intended to support all relevant parties, in particular applicant trusted flaggers, designated trusted flaggers, digital service coordinators (DSCs) and online platforms.
Participation in the consultation
The European Commission invites all stakeholders with relevant experience and expertise, such as online platform providers, (potential) trusted flaggers, researchers and civil society organisations, to take part in this targeted consultation.
The consultation is open until 10 July 2026 inclusive.
The Commission may publish non-confidential replies and a summary report of all the replies to this targeted consultation.
Next steps
Following the consultation and after analysing the contributions received, the Commission plans to adopt the guidelines in the second half of 2026.