The Agency, as Digital Services Coordinator, would like to inform the public that the European Commission has published draft guidelines on trusted notifiers under the Digital Services Act (DSA) and launched a public consultation open to all interested stakeholders.
The guidelines relate to Article 22 of the DSA, which requires online platforms, where they are at least medium-sized providers, to put in place mechanisms to prioritise reports of illegal content made by trusted whistleblowers. Platforms must decide on such reports without undue delay.
Trusted Whistleblower status can be granted by the Digital Service Coordinator to organisations that meet strict conditions of independence, expertise and competence in a particular field. Their role is to contribute to more effective identification and treatment of illegal content online. It is important to note that the DSA does not automatically require platforms to remove reported content, but rather to prioritise and treat it carefully.
The draft guidelines address in more detail the technical and procedural issues related to trusted whistleblower status. It addresses, inter alia, the conditions for obtaining the status, the designation process, the cooperation between trusted whistleblowers and online platforms, and the conditions and procedure for withdrawing the status.
Full information on the draft guidelines and the public consultation is available on the European Commission's website.
The interested public can submit their comments until 26 June 2026.
More than 70 Trusted Whistleblower statuses have been granted in the European Union so far. The status holders include recognised organisations working in the fields of child protection, privacy protection, prevention of online violence, consumer protection and protection of intellectual property rights. In Slovenia, three entities currently hold Trusted Whistleblower status, operating in different areas of expertise.
