# ‘Mere conduit’ — DSA — context bundle

> Focused context for a single provision, curated from overview.legal on 2026-08-22. Canonical page: https://overview.legal/laws/dsa/art-4
> Every item cites its source. Verify against the official text (EUR-Lex / wetten.overheid.nl) before relying on it.

## Provision

### ‘Mere conduit’ — ‘Mere conduit’

*DSA, dsa-art-4-en — https://overview.legal/laws/dsa/art-4*

1. Where an information society service is provided that consists of the transmission in a communication network of information provided by a recipient of the service, or the provision of access to a communication network, the service provider shall not be liable for the information transmitted or accessed, on condition that the provider:
   a) does not initiate the transmission;
   b) does not select the receiver of the transmission; and
   c) does not select or modify the information contained in the transmission.

2. The acts of transmission and of provision of access referred to in paragraph 1 shall include the automatic, intermediate and transient storage of the information transmitted in so far as this takes place for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission in the communication network, and provided that the information is not stored for any period longer than is reasonably necessary for the transmission.

3. This Article shall not affect the possibility for a judicial or administrative authority, in accordance with a Member State’s legal system, to require the service provider to terminate or prevent an infringement.

## Related recitals

### Recital 69 — prohibition of targeted ads using sensitive data

When recipients of the service are presented with advertisements based on targeting techniques optimised to match their interests and potentially appeal to their vulnerabilities, this can have particularly serious negative effects. In certain cases, manipulative techniques can negatively impact entire groups and amplify societal harms, for example by contributing to disinformation campaigns or by discriminating against certain groups. Online platforms are particularly sensitive environments for such practices and they present a higher societal risk. Consequently, providers of online platforms should not present advertisements based on profiling as defined in Article 4, point (4), of Regulation (EU) 2016/679, using special categories of personal data referred to in Article 9(1) of that Regulation, including by using profiling categories based on those special categories. This prohibition is without prejudice to the obligations applicable to providers of online platforms or any other service provider or advertiser involved in the dissemination of the advertisements under Union law on protection of personal data.

## Related topics

- **Intermediary Liability Framework under DSA** — https://overview.legal/topics/intermediary-liability-framework-dsa
  ## Legal Framework

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Generated by overview.legal · https://overview.legal/laws/dsa/art-4 · 2026-08-22