EU DSA DSA Article 27 — Recommender system transparency
In-scope online platforms using recommender systems MUST explain the main parameters and any options available for recipients to modify or influence them. Where several ordering options are available, provide functionality to select and modify the preferred option. Article 27 does not itself require creating a non-profiling option; assess Article 38 separately for designated VLOPs/VLOSEs.
Where this comes from
Provision: DSA Article 27 — Recommender system transparency
Instrument: EU Digital Services Act (Regulation 2022/2065)
Citation: DSA Article 27 — Recommender system transparency
Text version: Regulation (EU) 2022/2065 (Digital Services Act), OJ L 277, 27.10.2022, as adopted (CELEX 32022R2065); no consolidated text exists on Cellar, consistent with the Regulation being unamended; text retrieved 2026-09-21.
Who it applies to
It applies when all of these are true:
- Service is an online platform
- Service has users in the European Union
- Service uses recommender systems
…unless:
- Section 3 (Articles 20-28), with the exception of Article 24(3), does not apply to providers of online platforms that qualify as micro or small enterprises under Recommendation 2003/361/EC, nor, for the 12 months after losing that status, to providers that... (DSA Article 19(1)-(2) - Exclusion for micro and small enterprises (Section 3))
What engineering work it implies
Sample acceptance criteria Landfall generates for this obligation:
- In-scope online platforms using recommender systems MUST set out in their terms and conditions, in plain and intelligible language, the main parameters and any options available for recipients to modify or influence them (Art 27(1)); the main parameters MUST explain why information is suggested, including at least the most significant criteria and the reasons for their relative importance (27(2)). Where several ordering options are available, provide functionality to select and modify the preferred option at any time, directly and easily accessible from the specific section of the interface where the information is prioritised (27(3)). Article 27 does not itself require creating a non-profiling option; assess Article 38 separately for designated VLOPs/VLOSEs. Article 19: Section 3 does not apply to micro or small enterprises unless designated a VLOP.
- Explain the most significant recommendation criteria and their relative importance in clear terms. Test selection where multiple options exist. Assess the Article 19 micro/small-enterprise exclusion and designation separately; this record is screening, not a determination of that exclusion. Put the parameters in the terms and conditions, in plain and intelligible language (27(1)), and make the option switch reachable from the feed itself, changeable at any time (27(3)).
- Record the assessed scope, evidence and unresolved questions; completing this task is not a legal compliance determination.
Questions people ask
- Does EU DSA DSA Article 27 — Recommender system transparency apply to my service?
- It applies when Service is an online platform; Service has users in the European Union; Service uses recommender systems. It does not apply where Section 3 (Articles 20-28), with the exception of Article 24(3), does not apply to providers of online platforms that qualify as micro or small enterprises under Recommendation 2003/361/EC, nor, for the 12 months after losing that status, to providers that... (DSA Article 19(1)-(2) - Exclusion for micro and small enterprises (Section 3)).
- From when does this apply?
- EU DSA DSA Article 27 — Recommender system transparency applies from 17 February 2024. Its current status is: in force.
Find out whether this one lands on you
Landfall's pre-scan answers the applicability question above for your product in minutes, then turns every obligation that applies into traceable engineering tickets with a citation chain your auditors can follow.
Not legal advice. Landfall maps regulatory obligations to engineering work for planning purposes. Its verdicts are not legal advice and create no attorney-client relationship — verify with qualified counsel before relying on them.