The Tech Policy Press Podcast The Digital Services Act is a Lightning Rod for Debate
Feb 15, 2026
Paddy Leerssen, postdoctoral researcher at the University of Amsterdam focusing on social media regulation and DSA research. He discusses the DSA’s two-year enforcement milestone and evolving empirical work. Conversation covers audits and risk assessments, rising private litigation across Europe, national versus EU enforcement tensions, and blind spots like marketplaces and gender-based violence.
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Explosive Growth In DSA Research
- DSA research has expanded rapidly, with far more submissions and topics than two years ago.
- Risk-based approaches, elections, minors, deceptive design, and AI interactions dominate current work.
More Data, Still Vague Concepts
- Enforcement produced empirical material like platform reports, Commission decisions, and audits to analyze.
- Yet core concepts like 'systemic risk' remain vague despite more substantive sources to study.
Commission Willing To Probe Platform Design
- The European Commission is actively opening investigations and applying systemic-risk reasoning.
- Early cases (TikTok, Meta, X) show readiness to probe design choices like infinite scroll and consultation with minorities.