On 25 August 2024, the first independent audit period for Very Large Online Platforms (VLOPs) and Very Large Online Search Engines (VLOSEs) closed after commencing on 25 August 2023.

The Digital Services Act (DSA) is the European Union’s cornerstone legislation for online safety. It establishes a unified framework of rules designed to create a secure, predictable, and trustworthy online environment across the EU. While the DSA sets forth general obligations for all online platforms and search engines, it introduces additional, more stringent requirements for those platforms and search engines with over 45 million average monthly active users in the EU, with the first batch designated by the European Commission as VLOPs and VLOSEs on 25 April 2023 under Article 33 of the DSA.