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Germany Certifies Three New 'Trusted Flaggers' Under EU Digital Services Act

Bundesnetzagentur’s move tasks three new civil organizations with expedited reporting of hate speech, consumer-rights breaches, intellectual-property infringements

Overview

  • Bundesnetzagentur certified three new Trusted Flaggers on June 2, raising Germany’s total to four since the DSA took effect in February 2024.
  • HateAid will target hate speech and digital violence, Bundesverband Onlinehandel will monitor intellectual-property infringements and unfair competition, and Verbraucherzentrale Bundesverband will flag consumer-rights breaches and product-safety issues.
  • The DSA requires major platforms to prioritize reports from Trusted Flaggers, though they retain authority to remove content based on national law.
  • Platforms face EU fines if they systematically ignore or delay action on Trusted Flagger reports.
  • Opponents warn the expanded program could lead to censorship, while advocates argue it bolsters safeguards against illegal content and unsafe products.