Platform Content Governance After the Digital Services Act

Authors

  • Paz Irarrázabal González Department of Public Law, University of Chile (current affiliation) Author

Keywords:

Digital Services Act, platforms, content governance, accountability, EU regulation

Abstract

Background: Policy attention to the Digital Services Act has increased, yet there is limited empirical clarity on how institutional arrangements influence platforms and implementation quality.

Objective: The study evaluated institutional variation in approaches to the Digital Services Act, with particular attention to accountability, administrative capacity, and platforms.

Methods: A structured review covered 288 statutes, regulations, policies, contracts, guidance documents, administrative records, or public disclosures. A predefined two-stage coding framework assessed legal clarity, transparency, procedural safeguards, oversight, and implementation requirements, with discrepancies resolved through independent review.

Results: The document review found formal Digital Services Act requirements in 53% of sources, but detailed implementation or oversight provisions in just 33%. In 26% of cases, transparency or review mechanisms were missing or incomplete. Instruments with broader operational detail were associated with clearer responsibility and fewer implementation gaps.

Conclusion: For the Digital Services Act, the main practical lesson is that formal requirements do not by themselves produce consistent implementation. This means that platform regulation works more consistently when obligations are specific, oversight is coordinated, and compliance processes are reviewable.

Study design: comparative platform-policy analysis.

Publication history: Originally published in print on 15 June 2022, Volume 2, Article 5. Online abstract record added on 16 September 2026. Full-text PDF will be added when the digital galley is ready.

Author Biography

  • Paz Irarrázabal González, Department of Public Law, University of Chile (current affiliation)

    Current designation: Assistant Professor.

    Current affiliation: Department of Public Law, University of Chile, Chile.

    Current author information supplied for the 2026 digital archive.

Issue 2

Published

2022-06-15

Issue

Vol. 2 (2022)

Section

Articles

License

Copyright (c) 2022 Paz Irarrázabal González

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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