Trusted flagger: Reports of illegal content are not being adequately processed by platforms

• As a trusted flagger, the Federation of German Consumer Organisations reports violations of consumer rights, such as unsafe products or advertising for fake shops.
• Online platforms in part respond inadequately, thereby violating the DSA.
• The Digital Services Coordinator and the European Commission must hold platforms accountable.

As a trusted flagger, the Federation of German Consumer Organisations (Verbraucherzentrale Bundesverband) reported suspected illegal content on various online platforms last year. Platforms are obliged to review reports from trusted flaggers quickly and as a matter of priority. They must decide whether the content is illegal and provide feedback to the trusted flaggers. The first annual report shows that some platforms have provided no feedback, insufficient feedback or feedback that was too late. From the perspective of the Federation of German Consumer Organisations, the platforms are thus violating the provisions of the Digital Services Act (DSA).

“The trusted flagger is an important tool. We can notify digital platforms when we believe content violates consumer protection laws. This can include issues related to product safety, but also fraud and consumer deception”, says Ramona Pop, Executive Director of the Federation of German Consumer Organisations. "However, our experience over the past few months shows that platforms often fail to adequately fulfil their obligations. They sometimes respond slowly or not at all when we report illegal content. It is unacceptable for the Federation of German Consumer Organisations, as a trusted flagger, to report advertising for fake shops or unsafe products to the platforms and then receive no response or a very late response. There must be clear standards for cooperation between platforms and trusted flaggers, and these standards must be adhered to. The European Commission and the national Digital Services Coordinator must ensure this."

Fake shops, misleading health claims, unsafe products

Between June and December 2025, the Federation of German Consumer Organisations reported content on 13 different platforms. This included, for example, advertising for a fake underwear shop on Facebook. Or misleading advertising with false health claims: on Instagram, for example, a post advertised that “all diseases can be cured through the gut”. On Facebook, a post was reported that advertised weight loss patches that “reduce stubborn belly fat – in just 3 weeks”, a violation of the German law on advertising of medicinal products. Advertisements for an unsafe product were reported on Google: a heated hoodie of poor quality that could cause burns. A marble run for small children was reported on Aliexpress, for which an official EU product safety warning had been issued because small children could swallow parts of it. Approximately half of the reported content was subsequently deleted from the platforms.

“Trusted flaggers can help platforms remove illegal content with their reports. Trusted flaggers do not delete the content themselves but report it to the platforms. The platforms must then review the content and decide whether to delete it. This should also be in the interest of the platforms”, says Pop. “Trusted flaggers are important for regulating platforms in order to stem the flood of illegal content. In principle the Federation of German Consumer Organisations demands that platforms must ensure that consumers do not encounter unsafe products, misleading advertising or fraud attempts in the first place.”

Background

Since June 2025, the Federation of German Consumer Organisations has been a trusted flagger under the Digital Services Act (DSA), certified by the German Digital Services Coordinator (Bundesnetzagentur). In this role, the Federation of German Consumer Organisations can report online platforms such as Google, Instagram or Amazon Marketplace for suspected illegal content and possible violations of consumer law. This includes fraudulent offers, misleading information or unsafe products. The platforms must respond quickly to these reports, investigate the allegations and then delete the content if necessary.