Online safety & content laws in Austria (2026)

Legal framework

EU Digital Services Act (Regulation (EU) 2022/2065), applied in Austria via the Digital Services Coordinator Act (Koordinator-für-digitale-Dienste-Gesetz, KDD-G) enacted through the DSA-Begleitgesetz; supervised by KommAustria (Austrian Communications Authority) with RTR-GmbH as the out-of-court dispute-resolution body. Content-related criminal offences and civil remedies are set out in the Hass-im-Netz-Bekämpfungs-Gesetz (HiNBG, in force since 1 Jan 2021).

The Digital Services Act in Austria

In Austria, online platforms and intermediaries are governed by the EU Digital Services Act (DSA), a directly-applicable regulation covering illegal content, transparency and user protection.

Framework

the EU Digital Services Act (Regulation (EU) 2022/2065)

Approach

notice-and-action on illegal content, transparency reporting, clear terms, and protection of minors

Applies to

online intermediaries, hosting services and platforms offering services to users in Austria, wherever established

Very large platforms

platforms and search engines with 45M+ EU users face extra systemic-risk audits, overseen by the European Commission

Maximum fine

up to 6% of global annual turnover

Oversight

the national Digital Services Coordinator, plus the European Commission for very large platforms

The DSA is an EU regulation applied directly in Austria; the national Digital Services Coordinator handles day-to-day supervision.

Key points: internet & online safety in Austria

1. 01Governing law and coordinator

   The EU DSA applies directly; Austria's Koordinator-für-digitale-Dienste-Gesetz (KDD-G) came into force on 17 February 2024, designating KommAustria (within RTR-GmbH) as national Digital Services Coordinator with supervisory and enforcement powers over intermediary services established in Austria.

   rtr.at bmj.gv.at

2. 02Repeal of the KoPl-G after CJEU ruling

   Austria's 2021 Kommunikationsplattformen-Gesetz (KoPl-G), which imposed NetzDG-style notice-and-takedown and reporting duties with fines up to €10m, was found incompatible with the E-Commerce Directive's country-of-origin rule by the CJEU (Case C-376/22, 9 Nov 2023) and was repealed effective 17 February 2024 when the DSA regime took over.

   bindergroesswang.at digitalpolicyalert.org

3. 03Complaints and out-of-court dispute resolution

   Under Art. 53 DSA users may complain to KommAustria; RTR-GmbH (Media Department) was certified in October 2024 as an out-of-court dispute-resolution body under Art. 21 DSA. In the first year of operation KommAustria received 34 DSA complaints and RTR handled 112 dispute-resolution applications.

   parlament.gv.at rtr.at

4. 04Platform liability and penalties

   Intermediary liability follows the harmonised DSA safe-harbour and due-diligence regime (Arts 4-6, 14 et seq.); VLOPs/VLOSEs are supervised directly by the European Commission, while KommAustria enforces against Austrian-established platforms with DSA penalties of up to 6% of worldwide annual turnover.

   rtr.at twobirds.com

5. 05Criminal law on online hate and cyberbullying

   The Hass-im-Netz-Bekämpfungs-Gesetz (HiNBG), in force since 1 January 2021, tightened Criminal Code §§107c (cyberbullying, now punishable after a single act) and §283 (incitement), and simplified civil remedies against online abuse; it operates alongside the DSA regime.

   bmj.gv.at parlament.gv.at

6. 06Age verification / minimum age for social media

   Austria has no in-force statutory minimum age or bespoke age-assurance mandate for social media beyond DSA Art. 28 (protection of minors) and GDPR Art. 8. The federal government has announced a draft bill for a minimum age of 14 with mandatory age verification, targeted for June 2026 — currently proposed only.

   wsgrdataadvisor.com ageonce.com

The Digital Services Act in Austria: FAQ

Timeline of decisions

1. 24 Oct 2024Decision · official
   RTR certified as DSA out-of-court dispute settlement body

   KommAustria certified RTR (the regulatory authority's operating arm) as a dispute settlement body under Article 21 DSA, giving Austrian users a route to challenge platform content-moderation decisions. It marked the operational rollout of Austria's DSA complaint and redress system.

   RTR / KommAustria

2. 17 Feb 2024Law · official
   DSA Coordinator Act (KDD-G) enters into force; KoPl-G repealed

   The Koordinator-für-digitale-Dienste-Gesetz took effect, designating KommAustria as Austria's Digital Services Coordinator under Art. 49/55 DSA and simultaneously repealing the national Communication Platforms Act (KoPl-G). EU-wide DSA obligations also became fully applicable from this date.

   RTR / KommAustria

3. 30 Dec 2023Law · official
   DSA-Begleitgesetz published in Federal Law Gazette

   Austria's DSA accompanying legislation (BGBl. I Nr. 182/2023) was promulgated, enacting the KDD-G and amending the KommAustria Act, the E-Commerce Act and the Telecommunications Act to align national law with the EU Digital Services Act.

   RIS (Federal Law Gazette)

4. 9 Nov 2023Decision · official
   CJEU rules Austria's KoPl-G contrary to EU law (C-376/22)

   In Google Ireland, Meta and TikTok v. KommAustria, the Court of Justice held that Austria could not impose general, abstract obligations on platforms established in other Member States, as this breached the country-of-origin principle of the E-Commerce Directive. The ruling fatally undermined the national KoPl-G.

   Court of Justice of the EU

5. 19 Oct 2022Law · official
   EU Digital Services Act adopted (Regulation 2022/2065)

   The EU adopted the DSA, the directly-applicable regulation that became the backbone of Austria's online content and safety framework, setting due-diligence, notice-and-action, transparency and risk-mitigation duties for intermediaries and very large platforms.

   EUR-Lex (EU)

6. 1 Jan 2021Law · official
   Communication Platforms Act (KoPl-G) enters into force

   Austria's national anti-hate-speech law required large for-profit platforms (over 100,000 Austrian users or EUR 500,000 turnover) to provide reporting tools and remove manifestly illegal content within 24 hours, enforced by KommAustria with fines up to EUR 10 million. It was modelled on Germany's NetzDG.

   RIS (Federal Law Gazette)

7. 1 Dec 2020Law · official
   AVMSD transposition extends oversight to video-sharing platforms

   Amendments to Austria's Audiovisual Media Services Act and KommAustria Act transposed the revised EU AVMS Directive, for the first time placing video-sharing platforms (e.g. YouTube, TikTok) under KommAustria supervision for minor protection and bans on hate-inciting and dignity-violating content.

   RTR / KommAustria

8. 1 Jan 2002Law · official
   E-Commerce Act (ECG) enters into force

   Austria's E-Commerce-Gesetz implemented EU Directive 2000/31/EC, establishing the foundational intermediary-liability and notice-and-takedown regime: host, access, caching and link providers are shielded from liability provided they act expeditiously to remove illegal content once aware of it.

   RIS (Federal Law Gazette)

Sources

1. 1.rtr.at/medien/was_wir_tun/DigitaleDienste/DSA/Allgemeines_zum_DSA.de.html
2. 2.rtr.at/medien/aktuelles/publikationen/Publikationen/Publikationen_2025/Annua
3. 3.bmj.gv.at/themen/EU-und-Internationales/Digital-Services-Act.html
4. 4.bmj.gv.at/themen/Fokusthemen/gewalt-im-netz.html
5. 5.parlament.gv.at/gegenstand/XXVII/I/481
6. 6.parlament.gv.at/aktuelles/pk/jahr_2025/pk0755
7. 7.digitalpolicyalert.org/event/17603-adopted-law-to-implement-the-dsa-and-appoint-the-dsc
8. 8.bindergroesswang.at/insights/law-blog/2023/oesterreichisches-begleitgesetz-zum-digital-se
9. 9.twobirds.com/en/trending-topics/digital-services-act-tracker-and-uk-online-safety-
10. 10.wsgrdataadvisor.com/2026/05/whats-next-for-age-assurance-laws-in-europe/
11. 11.rtr.at/medien/was_wir_tun/DigitaleDienste/DSA/DSA.de.html
12. 12.ageonce.com/blog/age-verification-laws-by-country-2026