Swedish study finds gaps in scrutiny of social-media appeals
People challenging a removed social-media post or suspended account can seek an outside review under EU rules. But Swedish research has found gaps in the public records needed to scrutinise the bodies handling those disputes.
An Örebro University study examined the seven out-of-court dispute bodies approved across the EU by June 2025. The authorities’ approval decisions were not publicly available in four cases.
Researcher Emmanuel Vargas Penagos says that makes it harder for users and the public to assess circumstances that could affect independence or impartiality. The study also found differences between countries in how independence and expertise were assessed and in the rules bodies applied.
For users in Sweden, the Digital Services Act provides a route to challenge platform decisions beyond a platform’s own complaints process. A suitable certified body can review a dispute, but its decision is not legally binding.
Users need to check which languages and disputes a body handles. Ireland’s media regulator explains that certification applies across the EU and services must be free or available for a nominal fee.
The research concerns approval procedures and operating rules, rather than outcomes in individual appeals. Missing public approval records do not establish that a body is biased or that a particular user received an unfair decision.
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