§ Data Act · DSA COMPARISON

Data Act vs DSA: Where They Overlap and Conflict

4 overlaps, 1 conflicts and 2 gaps mapped between Data Act and DSA in the Fontvera regulatory corpus.

Summary

Data Act and DSA both apply across European business activity, but they were drafted at different times with different policy goals. This page summarises every article-level crossref between the two in the Fontvera corpus.

4 overlaps mean the same conduct triggers obligations in both regimes — design controls once, document twice. 1 conflicts mean the two regulations push in opposite directions on a specific question. 2 gaps mean one regulation leaves something on a topic the other addresses.

Who this applies to
Compliance teams who need to map a single control framework onto both Data Act and DSA.
Compliance deadline
§ Detail

In depth

Summary statistics

Overlaps: 4 · Conflicts: 1 · Gaps: 2

7 article-level crossrefs catalogued between Data Act and DSA from the Fontvera EU regulatory corpus. Article numbers are verbatim from the underlying obligation_crossrefs table; descriptions are extracted, not paraphrased.

All crossrefs between these regulations

Article (A)Article (B)TypeSeverityDescription
DSA Art 11Data Act Art 26overlaplow[entity affected: provider of intermediary services / provider of data processing services] Both regulations require entities to provide easily accessible, machine-readable, or public information rega
DSA Art 17Data Act Art 10overlapmedium[entity affected: provider of hosting services / dispute settlement body] Both regulations mandate that decisions affecting users or parties must be supported by a clear statement of reasons to ensure
DSA Art 20Data Act Art 10overlapmedium[entity affected: provider of online platforms / dispute settlement body] Both regulations require the establishment of accessible, user-friendly mechanisms for handling complaints or disputes, includ
DSA Art 15Data Act Art 10overlaplow[entity affected: provider of intermediary services / dispute settlement body] Both regulations impose obligations to publish annual reports detailing activities, such as content moderation actions or
DSA Art ?Data Act Art ?gaphigh[entity affected: provider of data processing services] Neither regulation clearly defines the liability or compliance obligations for data processing providers regarding the security of data during t
DSA Art ?Data Act Art ?gaphigh[entity affected: public sector body] While the Data Act allows public bodies to request data, neither regulation provides a unified framework for how public bodies must handle requests for data that
DSA Art 10Data Act Art 18conflictmedium[entity affected: provider of intermediary services / data holder] DSA Art 10 requires providers to inform authorities of the receipt and effect of orders without undue delay, while Data Act Art 18 al

Conflicts explained

The 1 article-level conflicts between Data Act and DSA mean a control that satisfies one can pull the wrong way on the other:

Which regulation takes precedence

EU law does not lay down a universal precedence rule between Data Act and DSA. In practice three resolution approaches apply: lex specialis (the more specific provision wins when both purport to govern the same conduct); regulator guidance (EDPB, EBA, ESMA and the AI Office have all issued joint readings on overlapping articles — check the most recent applicable opinion); and document the choice (when the regulations leave the call to the controller, the audit defence is your written reasoning, not the regulator's silence). Where the corpus surfaces a conflict rather than an overlap, treat that as an escalation path to legal — not a control-design question.

What this means for your compliance team

Treat the 4 overlaps as design opportunities — one control, two regulatory anchors. Treat the 1 conflicts as escalation paths to legal: the regulations themselves don't resolve them, you do, and you document the reasoning. The 2 gaps point at scenarios where one regulation is silent while the other speaks — assume the regulator who has the explicit rule will win.

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§ What Fontvera found

Documents in our corpus

Enforcement data is expanding. AI Act enforcement begins 2 August 2026 — this section will populate automatically as authorities and courts publish decisions citing the regulations covered on this page.
§ Cross-references

Related Fontvera intelligence

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