The Code of Conduct on Disinformation

The 2025 revision of the EU Code of Conduct on Disinformation marks the formal integration of the voluntary Code of Practice into the Digital Services Act framework, making it effective from July 2025. This represents a significant shift from voluntary self-regulation to quasi-regulatory co-regulation: platforms that commit to the Code now do so within a DSA compliance context, with the European Commission able to use DSA enforcement mechanisms to address non-compliance.

The Code is the primary instrument through which the EU operationalises its expectations of platforms regarding disinformation. For practitioners advising platforms, governments, or civil society organisations on EU compliance, understanding both the substance of the Code and its relationship to the DSA is essential. The 2025 version reflects lessons from the 2022 Strengthened Code evaluation and incorporates new provisions on generative AI, synthetic media, and political advertising — making it the most comprehensive iteration of EU platform governance on disinformation to date.