Disinformation Websites and the Digital Services Act

A Limited Case Study from Czechia

Ondřej Woznica

Zitiervorschlag: Ondřej Woznica, Disinformation Websites and the Digital Services Act, in: Jusletter IT 30. April 2025

Disinformation poses a growing threat to democratic society, the rule of law, and European values. In the Czech Republic, this challenge is highlighted by the prevalence of disinformation websites, exemplified by Parlamentnilisty.cz and similar. This article investigates the impact of the Digital Services Act (DSA) as a regulatory tool targeting disinformation sources in Czechia, assessing compliance with the DSA obligations.
Despite these websites being subject to some DSA obligations, such as content moderation and transparency requirements, the study finds widespread non-compliance. Additionally, due to the limited nature of user-generated content on these sites, DSA obligations targeting online platforms generally do not apply. This analysis concludes that while the DSA aids in regulating spread of disinformation on major online platforms like YouTube and Facebook, it offers limited solutions for directly addressing disinformation sources.