Out-of-court dispute settlement, Art. 21 DSA

Our Mission.

Social media platforms are more than just a means of communication - they shape public debate and the exercise of the right to freedom of expression. We offer effective procedures for resolving content moderation disputes with social media platforms. Our decisions help to protect the legal order, democratic values and fundamental rights online.

"Our constitutional order also applies online. We are helping to develop an appropriate fundamental rights framework for content on social media.”

Niklas Eder

Co-Founder of User Rights

Why out-of-court dispute settlement for content on social media is so important:

Article 21 of the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA) allows national Digital Services Coordinators to endow organisations with the task of settling content moderation disputes. These organisations, out-of-court dispute settlement bodies, can then issue decisions on whether content moderation actions, such as the removal of posts or the demotion of content, were justified or not. These decisions are non-binding, but platforms have an obligation to cooperate in good faith. Out-of-court dispute settlement has the potential to improve platform accountability and protect rights and democracy. As one of the first organisations to be certified, User Rights is a pioneer in the field.

The founders of User Rights.

Niklas Eder

Niklas Eder is the Co-Founder of User Rights and works as a Digital Policy Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Oxford. He is teaching the course “Technology, Democracy and Society” at King’s College London. He previously worked at the Oversight Board and the Information Society Project at Yale Law School.

Raphael Kneer

Raphael Kneer is the Co-Founder and Managing Director of User Rights. Following a commercial apprenticeship, he studied law in Heidelberg and Madrid. He has been working as a lawyer for several years and has (co-)founded several companies.

Prof. Dr. Stephan Breidenbach

Prof. Dr. Stephan Breidenbach is a professor, mediator and entrepreneur. He has extensive experience as an arbitrator, including at the ICC (International Chamber of Commerce) in Paris and the CAS (Court of Arbitration for Sport), in addition to his experience advising the German government. He is the founder of social initiatives (such as Schule im Aufbruch) and impact companies (such as betterplace.org/gut.org AG).

What does User Rights do?

We review complaints from users whose social media posts have been deleted or moderated. We also review complaints from individuals or organisations who have reported content that has not been removed by a platform. Our content moderation assessment covers suspected or alleged violations of German law and violations of platform terms and conditions EU-wide. We review German and English-language content. We are currently accepting complaints about Instagram, TikTok, and LinkedIn. We plan to expand our work and accept complaints about further social media platforms in the coming months.

What is the Digital Services Act?

The Digital Services Act (DSA) is a European regulation that aims to create a safe and transparent digital space on the internet. The DSA obliges online platforms to cooperate with independent dispute resolution bodies such as User Rights. The regulation sets out rules and responsibilities for online platforms in order to ensure the protection of fundamental rights and effectively combat illegal and harmful content.

How does the process work?

In short, you file a complaint, and we will do the rest. You will receive a reasoned decision at the end of the procedure. Our independence and expertise have been certified by the competent authority. Social media platforms are legally obliged to work with us and pay our fees.

What is the impact of the decision?

We examine your rights in both a national and European context. While our decisions are not directly binding, online platforms are obliged to cooperate with us and to check whether there is any reason why our decision should not be implemented. Our decision will also allow you to assess your options for further action in case the platform does not implement our decision.

How is User Rights financed?

We are independent and are financed by fees incurred as part of reviewing cases, paid by the online platforms. We are allowed to charge the online platforms reasonable fees for the proceedings. These fees are limited in amount and are regularly reviewed by the competent authority.

You want to know exactly how we work? Download the rules of procedure and cost order as a PDF here:

Rules of Procedure Schedule of Costs