Taking Fundamental Rights Seriously in the Digital Services Act’s Platform Liability Regime

European Law Journal 2023, Vol 29, Issue 1-2, pp. 31-77.

59 Pages Posted: 22 Mar 2021 Last revised: 3 Jan 2024

See all articles by Giancarlo Frosio

Giancarlo Frosio

Queen's University Belfast - School of Law

Christophe Geiger

Luiss Guido Carli University

Abstract

This article highlights how the EU fundamental rights framework should inform the liability regime of platforms foreseen in secondary EU law, in particular with regard to the reform of the E-commerce directive by the Digital Services Act. In order to identify all possible tensions between the liability regime of platforms on the one hand, and fundamental rights on the other hand, and in order to contribute to a well-balanced and proportionate European legal instrument, this article addresses these potential conflicts from the standpoint of users (those who share content and those who access it), platforms, regulators and other stakeholders involved. Section 2 delves into the intricate landscape of online intermediary liability, interrogating how the E-Commerce Directive and the emerging Digital Services Act grapple with the delicate equilibrium between shielding intermediaries and upholding the competing rights of other stakeholders. The article then navigates in Section 3 the fraught terrain of fundamental rights as articulated by the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) and the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) under the aegis of the European Convention on Human Rights and the EU Charter. This section poses an urgent inquiry: Can the DSA's foundational principles reconcile these legal frameworks in a manner that fuels democracy rather than stifles it through inadvertent censorship?. Section 4 then delves into the intricate relationship between fundamental rights and the DSA reform. This section conducts a comprehensive analysis of the key provisions of the DSA, emphasizing how they underscore the importance of fundamental rights. In addition to mapping out the framework's strengths, the section also identifies existing limitations within the DSA and suggests potential pathways for further refinement and improvement. This article concludes by outlining key avenues for achieving a balanced and fundamental rights-compliant regulatory framework for platform liability within the EU.

Keywords: intermediary liability, fundamental rights, Digital Services Act, platforms, online, intellectual property, copyright, content moderation, reform, EU law, CJEU. ECHR

Suggested Citation

Frosio, Giancarlo and Geiger, Christophe, Taking Fundamental Rights Seriously in the Digital Services Act’s Platform Liability Regime. European Law Journal 2023, Vol 29, Issue 1-2, pp. 31-77., Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3747756 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3747756

Giancarlo Frosio (Contact Author)

Queen's University Belfast - School of Law ( email )

Main Site Tower, Queen's University Belfast
Belfast, BT7 1NN
United Kingdom

Christophe Geiger

Luiss Guido Carli University ( email )

Department of Law, Via Parenzo, 11
Rome, Roma 00198
Italy

HOME PAGE: http://giurisprudenza.luiss.it/docenti/cv/353993

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