Dr Marco Fagnano, on behalf of the IDPC, attended a seminar organised by the national EU Coordination Department (EUCD) on the implementation of the EU Digital Services Act (DSA). The session, held in collaboration with the European Commission Representative and the Malta Communications Authority (MCA) — Malta’s designated Digital Services Coordinator — sought to provide to the relevant Ministries an in-depth overview of the Government’s planned coordination and reporting obligations for the purposes of the DSA. This domestic seminar offered relevant ministries and entities further clarity on how Malta ought to align its national approach with EU conformity requirements, whilst providing the perfect opportunity to discuss intersecting cross-regulatory obligations between the various ministries, and enabling joint ministerial coordination policies on the ground for smooth parallel operation by concerned ministries.

Dr Fagnano closely followed discussions on the important need under the DSA to safeguard minors in data protection terms, which prohibits on online platforms targeted advertising directed to minors based on the profiling of their personal data – whilst also highlighting the DSA’s prohibition of profiling on online platforms of special categories of personal data.

The seminar highlighted the need for continued cross-ministerial coordination between the Malta Executive Police and the MCA, when ordering and monitoring a takedown order of illicit content, such as terrorism related, mandated on an online platform - which may fall under both Regulation (EU) 2021/784 on addressing the dissemination of terrorist content online, under the MJR's remit, and under the Digital Services Act, Regulation (EU) 2022/2065, under the remit of the Ministry of Economy, Enterprise and Strategic Projects (MEEP).