Government proposes approval of Digital Services Act implementation

The Government proposes that the President of the Republic adopt the acts nationally implementing the EU Digital Services Act, which aims to improve the transparency and safety of online intermediary services for users.

The Digital Services Act seeks to protect users from illegal content and ensure their fundamental rights online. It applies to internet access providers, cloud services and social media services, online marketplaces and search engines.

As an EU regulation, the Digital Services Act is directly applicable legislation. In Finland, its implementation requires the establishment of supervisory authorities and new regulation on powers and sanctions.

The authority for digital services coordination and the main supervisory authority for the Act will be the Finnish Transport and Communications Agency Traficom.  Other authorities supervising the implementation of the Act will include the Consumer Ombudsman and the Data Protection Ombudsman. The supervisory authority for very large online platforms with over 45 million users in the EU will be the European Commission.

The national supervisory authorities will be given the necessary powers, such as the right to carry out inspections. Violation of the Act can lead to sanction fees. Decisions on imposing sanction fees of more than EUR 100,000 will be made by a collegial body to be set up in Traficom.

Next steps

On 12 January 2024, the President of the Republic is expected to approve the bills passed by Parliament. The acts will enter into force on 17 February 2024 when the application of the Digital Services Act begins.

Inquiries:

Kreetta Simola, Senior Ministerial Adviser, kreetta.simola(at)gov.fi, tel. +358 295 342 609

Roosa Patrakka, Senior Officer, roosa.patrakka(at)gov.fi, tel. +358 295 342 192

Eero Salojärvi, Senior Officer, eero.salojarvi(at)gov.fi, tel. +358 295 342 123