The role of the Digital Services Coordinator
Article 49(1) of the DSA requires each Member State of the European Union to designate a "digital services coordinator". In the Czech Republic, the Czech Telecommunications Office has been designated as the coordinator. The Digital Services Coordinator is responsible for all matters related to national supervision under the DSA unless they have been delegated to another authority. Its duty is to carry out the entrusted tasks in an impartial, independent, transparent and timely manner.
Main tasks of the coordinator:
- Coordinating the implementation of the DSA at national and European level,
- Monitoring and enforcement of obligations under the DSA towards service providers established in a Member State (other than VLOP/VLOSE),
- Handling complaints and enquiries from the public,
- Certification of out-of-court dispute settlement entities, trusted flaggers and vetted researchers,
- Membership in the European Board for Digital Services.
On the contrary, the role of the coordinator is not to judge the (il)legality of content on the internet, to combat disinformation or to decide on disputes between service providers and users. Nor does the coordinator have the power to order the removal of illegal content or the blocking of websites.
Currently, CTU can only exercise competences under the DSA that do not affect the rights and obligations of persons, as the relevant adaptation law is still in the legislative process.