Guidelines for providers of VLOPs and VLOSEs on the mitigation of systemic risks for electoral processes

Providers of VLOPs and VLOSEs shall comply with their obligations under Regulation (EU) 2022/2065. These guidelines should be seen in the framework of supporting providers of VLOPs and VLOSEs to ensure compliance with the obligation under Article 35 of that Regulation vis-à-vis risks on electoral processes.  In addition to the obligation to put in place reasonable, proportionate, and effective mitigation measures for risks related to electoral processes pursuant to Article 35 of Regulation (EU) 2022/2065, providers of VLOPs and VLOSEs must follow all other legal obligations in Regulation (EU) 2022/2065 which may be relevant for elections. These include, but are not limited to, Articles 14 and, 17 on Terms and Conditions and Statement of Reasons, Articles 27 and 38 on Recommender Systems, Articles 36 and 48 on Crisis Response Mechanisms and Protocols, Articles 15, 24, 37, 42 on Transparency and Independent Audits, Articles 26 and 39 on Online Advertising Transparency and Article 40 on Data Access and Scrutiny. 

The Communication from the Commission on Guidelines for providers of VLOPs and VLOSEs on the mitigation of systemic risks for electoral processes was formally adopted by the Commission on 26 April 2024.