The National Authority for Management and Regulation in Communications (ANCOM), in its role as Digital Services Coordinator in Romania, has launched in Timișoara the 2026 national information and education campaign dedicated to the implementation of the Digital Services Act (DSA).
Over the course of two days, representatives of ANCOM, the European Commission and Save the Children Romania discussed with over 400 pupils, students, teachers, researchers and parents about how the DSA reshapes the relationship between users, online platforms and institutions, as well as on how it facilitates researchers’ access to data.
The discussions mainly focused on measures to protect minors in the online environment, mechanisms for reporting illegal online content and researchers’ access to data held by very large online platforms.
Digital Services Act – access to data for researchers
On the first day of the event in Timișoara, ANCOM representatives, together with representatives of the European Commission, spoke to the students and academics of the West University of Timișoara about access for vetted researchers to the data of very large online platforms and search engines (VLOPs/VLOSEs), under the conditions provided by the Digital Services Act. Access to data is essential for projects that analyse and contribute to mitigating systemic risks in the European Union. Details on this topic are available here.
Digital Services Act – protecting minors online
During the session dedicated to students, parents, teachers and representatives of the education system, discussions focused on the obligations of online platforms regarding the safety of minors, the key recommendations of the European Commission’s Guidelines on the protection of minors, the practical understanding by students who use online platforms of the mechanisms provided under the DSA Regulation in addressing certain types of content, risks in the online environment (disinformation, cyberbullying, deepfake, exposure to harmful content), but also the role of parents, teachers, authorities and civil society in ensuring a safer online environment for children.
A study presented by Save the Children Romania highlighted alarming trends regarding the vulnerability of young people in the virtual environment. According to the findings, almost 80% of children surf the internet without any access restrictions, while parental supervision tends to decrease as children grow older. Details about this study are available here.
The European Commission Representative in Romania, present at both events, emphasized the Commission’s central role in enforcing the DSA, acting as the main supervisory authority for very large online platforms (VLOPs) and very large online search engines (VLOSEs).
Online Safety Barometer in Romania
As part of the campaign, the Online Safety Barometer in Romania was launched, a tool designed to assess users’ awareness of their online rights, the extent to which reporting mechanisms for illegal content are used and users’ perception regarding the safety of minors online. The questionnaire is available here and can be completed anonymously by anyone interested.
Information and education campaign on the implementation of the DSA
Through this campaign, ANCOM aims to raise awareness of the need to protect minors online, to improve understanding of mechanisms for reporting illegal or harmful content by the service recipients, to inform the academic community about researchers’ access to the data of very large online platforms, and to assess the degree of knowledge of the Digital Services Act among the public.
The 2026 campaign builds on the DSA-related communication efforts initiated by ANCOM as early as 2024. Upcoming meetings with pupils, students, teachers, researchers and parents will take place in Cluj-Napoca, Bucharest and Iasi.
The events in Timișoara were organized with the support of the West University of Timișoara and the Timiș County School Inspectorate.