Governing Digital Platforms: A Comparative Analysis of the Role of State Agencies and Societal Actors in the Implementation of the EU Digital Services Act

Research on the governance of digital platforms has concentrated on technology companies as intermediaries. This article analyzes the emergence of societal actors as new intermediaries in the governance of digital platforms in the European Union. What forms of intermediation evolve during the implementation of data access under the Digital Services Act? Based on semi-structured interviews, the article compares Germany and Ireland as key countries. It concludes that regulators in both countries rely on researchers as intermediaries in order to strengthen capacity for implementation. This research introduces new ways to capture and understand the role of the state and society in governance of digital platforms.