What happened
On 10 November 2026 the European Commission opened a targeted consultation on draft revised election guidelines under the Digital Services Act (DSA). The draft sets out measures that Very Large Online Platforms (VLOPs) and Very Large Online Search Engines (VLOSEs) should take against generative-AI and information-manipulation risks to electoral processes. According to the Commission’s consultation page, submissions are open to “all stakeholders with relevant experience and expertise” until 23 November 2026, through an EU Survey form.
Key details
- Dates: opened 10 November 2026; closes 23 November 2026.
- Background: the first election guidelines for VLOPs and VLOSEs were adopted in 2024 under Article 35 of the DSA. The Commission says the update responds to new technology and a fast-changing threat landscape, answers a European Council call for a swift revision, and builds on lessons since 2024 and on the Code of Conduct on Disinformation, including its Rapid Response System.
- Foreign information manipulation and interference (FIMI): stronger defences, including early detection of coordinated inauthentic behaviour and dismantling the networks behind it.
- Recommender systems: spotting suspicious trends before they go viral, testing algorithms for manipulation before each national election, and logging recommender changes in the six months before a vote.
- AI-generated content: clear deepfake labels that stay attached when content is shared, and fast removal of illegal deepfakes of candidates.
- Candidate protection: dedicated reporting channels and swift handling of threats, harassment and impersonation, applied even-handedly to all candidates.
- Accountability: reports to the Commission and national authorities within 30 days after an election on risk mitigation, plus a public version.
The Commission describes the guidelines as content-neutral: they do not ask platforms to delete lawful content or single out any viewpoint. The Brussels Times, which reported the consultation on 10 November 2026, describes the draft in similar terms.
What it means for researchers and research offices
The consultation page does not mention researchers or data access, and this article does not claim the draft changes any researcher access arrangements. Its relevance to the research community is indirect but real:
- Expertise is the stated audience. The call is for stakeholders with relevant experience and expertise. Groups studying disinformation, coordinated inauthentic behaviour, recommender-system auditing, synthetic media detection or election-related online harassment are natural contributors, with evidence from their own published work.
- Measurability. Proposals such as pre-election algorithm testing, recommender-change logs and post-election reports raise questions of what is measured, how, and whether outsiders can verify it. Researchers can comment on the clarity and testability of these provisions.
- Short window. With a two-week consultation, research offices that want to support a response (for example, by coordinating a unit-level or consortium submission, or checking institutional policy on public policy statements) have little time.
Practical steps: read the draft from the Commission page, identify the sections that match published findings from your group, and submit through the EU Survey form before 23 November 2026. Keep responses specific, cite peer-reviewed or otherwise public evidence, and separate evidence from opinion.
What to watch
- Whether the Commission publishes a summary of responses or a revised text after the consultation closes.
- The adoption date and any application timing of the final revised guidelines; the consultation page gives none.
- How the post-election reporting and the public version of those reports are structured once the guidelines are final.
Sources
- European Commission, Targeted consultation on the draft revised election guidelines under the Digital Services Act (DSA), https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/consultations/targeted-consultation-draft-revised-election-guidelines-under-digital-services-act-dsa (read 13 November 2026).
- Brussels Times, New EU push targets AI-fuelled threats to election integrity, https://www.brusselstimes.com/2401634/new-eu-push-targets-ai-fuelled-threats-to-election-integrity (read 13 November 2026).
