Today, the Global Network Initiative (GNI) and the Digital Trust & Safety Partnership (DTSP) are publishing a high-level summary of the key learnings and takeaways from the preparation for and discussions during the “European Rights & Risk: Stakeholder Engagement Forum,” which was held in Brussels on 26 and 27 June 2024.
At present, very large online platforms and search engines (VLOPs and VLOSEs) in the European Union are conducting their second round of mandatory risk assessments under the Digital Services Act (DSA). Due this month (August 2024), these assessments seek to identify the platforms’ own “systemic risks,” the mitigations they’ve taken to reduce those risks, and their crisis plans and responses.
The Forum brought together more than 75 attendees, including representatives from seven entities who are members of GNI and DTSP and collectively manage 13 distinct services that have been designated as VLOPs or VLOSEs, as well as civil society and academic experts from across Europe and other jurisdictions, to discuss systemic risk assessments.
Discussions during the Forum coalesced around several overarching themes: understanding risks, assessment methodologies, stakeholder engagement, DSA enforcement, the Brussels Effect, and the role of AI. Through deep dives on several risk areas (electoral processes and civic discourse, crisis and conflict-affected settings, and when harmful content becomes illegal), the Forum explored the lack of clarity on what makes a risk “systemic,” especially those with cross-border implications. Across sessions, stakeholders discussed ways civil society expertise could better inform risk assessments. Participants also probed opportunities and challenges around integrating AI into risk assessment and mitigation processes.
This Forum marked one step forward in the journey toward more fruitful engagement between platform companies and civil society in pursuit of the protection of fundamental rights in Europe and around the world. Representatives from digital services and civil society brought diverse perspectives to the discussion, and were able to identify points of common ground despite their at times opposing positions. For instance, as a general matter stakeholders agreed that the lack of authoritative guidance from the European Commission presents opportunities to work collaboratively in pursuit of rights-respecting approaches to risk assessment. Forthcoming public reports on year one risk assessments and audits will provide more opportunities for shared reflection and identification of challenges and opportunities. DTSP and GNI will organize a follow-up, virtual workshop to facilitate additional conversations after those reports are published.