Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/326736 
Year of Publication: 
2025
Series/Report no.: 
Weizenbaum Policy Paper No. 14
Publisher: 
Weizenbaum Institut, Berlin
Abstract: 
The European Union’s Digital Services Act (DSA) aims to increase transparency and account-ability for Very Large Online Platforms and Search Engines (VLOPSEs) through a variety of measures and obligations. This policy paper focuses on the obligation of platforms to pro-vide data access to researchers as established in Art. 40 DSA, a significant shift from previ-ous, non-regulated access regimes, and the tensions and challenges resulting from its im-plementation, operating within existing power structures between platforms and govern-ments. A central element of the VLOP-specific obligations is the concept of systemic risk. It also serves as the foundation for data access requests under Article 40, as the requested data must be used for research that contributes to the understanding, identification, detection, or mitigation of such risks in the European Union. While researchers also need to meet other requirements (such as independence of commercial interests), the purpose limitation is the only factor that geographically restricts the scope of the research. This means that while the research itself is geographically limited in scope, access can in principle be granted to all re-searchers that meet the specified vetting criteria, independent of their location.
Persistent Identifier of the first edition: 
Creative Commons License: 
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Document Type: 
Working Paper

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