The PhD project is part of the interdisciplinary Effective Governance for cybersecurity and Online Safety (EGOS) project, which is funded by the Dutch Research Council (NWO). EGOS is a multidisciplinary research initiative focused on advancing notice-and-action mechanisms and the role of trusted flaggers to address harmful online content and strengthen cybersecurity, with a strong emphasis on compliance with the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA). Led by the Delft University of Technology and Radboud University, EGOS brings together academic excellence with practical expertise from a consortium of key Dutch partners, including the National Organisation for Internet Providers (NBIP), the Electronic Commerce Platform (ECP), and the Authority for the Prevention of Online Terrorist Content and Child Pornography (ATKM).

The internet has become an important space for the sharing of content. One of the long-standing issues is the way in which so-called hosting service providers, including online platforms, should moderate online content. The DSA contains many procedural novelties to ensure that content is moderated in an adequate and balanced manner. One of the key procedural innovations is the concept of trusted flaggers, organisations with a specific expertise that notify online platforms about illegal content in a diligent, objective and accurate way. Under the DSA, online platforms should give priority to notifications by trusted flaggers.

The legal framework for trusted flaggers raises various types of legal questions. These questions concern the interpretation of the provisions on trusted flaggers, the division of responsibility between trusted flaggers and online platforms, the role of trusted flaggers in situations where they are not mandated, and the potential role of AI.

Your research will culminate in a PhD in the form of either a monograph or a collection of previously published research papers. Your supervisors will be Pieter Wolters, Frederik Zuiderveen Borgesius and Raphaël Gellert.

You will be part of the Department of Private Law of the Faculty of Law at Radboud University. The research will be part of the Radboud Business Law Institute. Furthermore, you will collaborate with researchers from various disciplines at iHub, Radboud’s interdisciplinary research hub on digitalisation and society. Lastly, you will also collaborate with other researchers from EGOS.

For a full profile, see the attachment below the vacancy. This position has no teaching responsibilities.

Would you like to learn more about what it’s like to pursue a PhD at Radboud University? Visit the page about working as a PhD candidate