Platforms under pressure
The European Commission is putting increasing pressure on online marketplaces and platforms to play an active role in ensuring privacy compliance by their participants. The combination of the GDPR and the Digital Services Act (DSA) creates a framework where platforms can no longer claim they are “just an intermediary.”
What does this mean in practice?
Online marketplaces and platforms are expected to:
- Verify privacy policies of sellers and providers using their platform
- Provide transparency about how data is shared between platform and participants
- Exclude or remove non-compliant participants in cases of repeated violations
- Set clear terms about privacy compliance in their platform rules
The impact on sellers
If you sell through an online marketplace, webshop platform, or comparison site, you will encounter this more and more. Platforms increasingly ask for:
- A link to your privacy notice
- Proof that you have a processing register
- Information about how you handle customer data
- A data processing agreement
Businesses without these in order risk being denied access to the platform.
The broader context
This development is part of a broader European policy to make the digital economy safer. The DSA imposes obligations on platforms around content moderation, transparency, and user protection. The GDPR complements this on personal data.
For SME owners, the message is clear: GDPR compliance is not just a legal obligation - it is increasingly a commercial necessity.
GDPRWise helps you get your privacy notice, processing register, and data processing agreements in order.