The Digital Services Act, known by the abbreviation DSA, sets out rules for intermediary online services, including platforms, marketplaces and social networks. It introduces mandatory mechanisms for reporting illegal content, giving reasons for removal decisions, the possibility of appeal, transparency of advertising, and a ban on misleading interface features that push the user towards a decision. The strictest obligations apply to very large platforms; micro-enterprises and small businesses are exempt from part of the requirements. For Slovak e-shops, the regulation is relevant in two ways: if they operate a marketplace with third-party offers themselves, obligations apply to them, and if they sell through someone else's platform, they must provide it with verifiable identification data. Operators of an ordinary e-shop with their own goods are not subject to most of the obligations, but the information requirements towards the consumer continue to apply. It is therefore worth assessing compliance according to whether the company is brokering third-party offers.
See also: Liability for third-party content, Marketplace as a market entry channel, E-shop terms and conditions.
