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The Code of Conduct on Countering Illegal Hate Speech Online + under the DSA seeks to prevent and address the spread of illegal hate speech online.

Under the Digital Services Act (DSA), codes of conduct can help providers of Very Large Online Platforms (VLOPs) and Very Large Online Search Engines (VLOSEs) to adopt commitments contributing to the application of the DSA. Codes of conduct may also include additional reporting commitments, complementary to DSA reporting obligations, to enhance transparency on measures taken by platforms. 

In addition, codes of conduct provide a forum for exchange among platforms of different sizes, civil society organisations, researchers and other stakeholders, which help hold the signatories accountable to their commitments. Moreover, codes allow smaller platforms and civil society organisations, among others, to actively contribute to the exchange of best practices.

Codes of Conduct to tackle systemic risks under article 45 of the DSA

Adhering to codes of conduct under article 45 of the DSA is a voluntary act. However, signatories undertake to respect the commitments outlined in the code or codes they adhered to. For signatories who are designated as VLOPs and VLOSEs, this may help to ensure appropriate risk mitigation measures are in place. In addition, VLOPs and VLOSEs are subject to an obligatory annual audit under the DSA to verify their compliance with commitments under such codes of conduct. The Code of conduct on countering hate speech online + and the future Code of Conduct on Disinformation are examples of codes under article 45 of the DSA.

Code of Conduct on Countering Illegal Hate Speech Online +

The Code of Conduct on Countering Illegal Hate Speech Online + seeks to prevent and address the spread of illegal hate speech online through commitments in the areas of terms and conditions, review time of notices, transparency of content moderation actions, multi-stakeholder cooperation, and awareness-raising. It builds on the Code of Conduct adopted in 2016.

The Code of conduct+ strengthens the way signatories deal with online content deemed to be illegal hate speech by EU law and Member States’ laws. It facilitates compliance with and the effective enforcement of the DSA in this specific area.  
The Code has 12 signatories, among which seven are designated VLOPs: Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Snapchat, TikTok, X, YouTube and five other signatories: Dailymotion, Jeuxvideo.com, Microsoft, Rakuten Viber, Twitch.

Code of Conduct on Disinformation

The Code of Practice on Disinformation seeks to combat disinformation through commitments made by online platforms, players in the advertising industry, fact-checkers, research and civil society organisations in areas such as demonetisation, political ads, fact-checking, user empowerment, and more. First proposed by signatories in 2018 and later revised and strengthened in 2022, the Code currently has over 40 signatories including the following that are designated VLOPs and VLOSEs: Google Search & YouTube (Google), Instagram and Facebook (Meta), Bing and LinkedIn (Microsoft), and TikTok.

Reporting done by signatories on their implementation of the commitments can be found on the Transparency Centre website. On 13 February 2025, the Commission and the European Board for Digital Services endorsed the integration of the 2022 Code of Practice on Disinformation into the framework of the DSA, therefore becoming the Code of Conduct on Disinformation.

Codes of conduct for online advertising

Under Article 46 of the DSA, the Commission shall encourage and facilitate the creation of voluntary codes of conduct to contribute to further transparency for actors in the online advertising value chain. These codes may pursue the aim of fostering a competitive, transparent and fair environment for all parties involved in online advertising. The codes may also support the transparency rules relating to advertising already in place in the DSA.

Codes of conduct for accessibility

The Commission may also encourage and facilitate the drawing up of codes of conduct to improve access to online services by addressing the particular needs of persons with disabilities under article 47 of the DSA. Such codes should promote full, effective, and equal participation to the online services for everyone.

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Big Picture

The enforcement of the Digital Services Act (DSA) includes a full set of investigative and sanctioning measures that can be taken by national authorities and the Commission.