Digital Services Act
Definitions
“DSA” means Regulation (EU) 2022/2065 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 19 October 2022 on a Single Market For Digital Services and amending Directive 2000/31/EC (otherwise known as the Digital Services Act).
“Illegal Content” means, in the context of short-term vacation rentals, content that concerns a short-term rental, where the rental itself is being provided in contravention of applicable legislation.
“Recipient of Service” is defined under the DSA to mean 'any natural or legal person who uses an intermediary service, in particular for the purposes of seeking information or making it accessible'. This includes users to whom information is displayed by the Awaze service, even if that user does not make a transaction.
- EU monthly active Recipients of Service
In accordance with Awaze’s obligations under Article 24 (2) of the DSA, we estimate that the average monthly active Recipients of Service of the Awaze service in the European Union from 17 August 2023 up to and including 17 February 2024 is 6,764,256. This figure is an estimate based on the data available to Awaze, and the guidance in the DSA. Please note that this estimate is prepared solely for the purpose of fulfilling the requirements of Article 24 (2) of the DSA and may differ from user information reported in other contexts, and should not be used for any other purpose.
Awaze will continue to monitor its services in the European Union and will periodically publish updated information, in accordance with the requirements of the DSA.
- Annual transparency report
Awaze will publish its first annual transparency report at the end of the first reporting cycle following the full entry into application of the DSA on 17 February 2024.
- Information about content moderation
Recipients of Service that provide content that is included on our websites (for example concerning holiday homes) are informed of their responsibility and obligation to provide accurate information, and are reminded annually to update information provided as required (though they can update more regularly, if needed).
Holiday home guests are given the opportunity to review properties they have visited after their stay, and such reviews are published on our website. These reviews are handled by a third-party supplier (Feefo). Feefo has guidelines which must be adhered to by reviewers, particularly concerning use of personal information or inappropriate language. Failure to adhere to such guidelines may lead to reviews being removed.
If any content provided is brought to our attention on the basis that it may be Illegal Content, it is sent to content moderators in the relevant department, for human review and verification. If content that we have published on our website, which has been provided to us by a Recipient of Service, is reasonably determined by us to be Illegal Content, as defined by the DSA and in light of all available guidance and our internal policy, the relevant Recipient of Service will be notified and the Illegal Content will be removed in line with our internal procedure (see more information below).
- Recommender systems
We use a recommender system to order the properties that we list on our websites. The list order is determined by a scoring system, under which properties will be given a higher score (and therefore a higher listing) depending on a number of criteria. Examples of the criteria include how closely the property matches the Recipient of Service’s search criteria, the property’s star rating, number of pictures included on the property’s listing and so on. The criteria which are most significant in determining the order suggested to the Recipient of Service are the location of the property (and how close it is to the Recipient of Service’s searched area) and the dates of availability of the property (and how closely this matches the Recipient of Service’s searched dates). These are given the most importance to ensure the Recipient of Service’s satisfaction with the search results. A daily “shuffle” takes place, whereby similar scoring properties change order.
Recipients of Service can modify or influence the main parameters of the recommender system by defining their search at the outset (they can input their location, dates of travel, number of guests and number of pets). It is then possible to use additional filters to show properties based on additional parameters, such as the facilities available at the property or distance of the property from amenities. Recipients of Service can also sort the order of the properties listed based on quality rating, lowest price, highest price, highest number of people, lowest number of people and closest to water. Finally, Recipients of Service can use the “map view” which will reveal different options as the Recipient of Service scrolls on the map. All of this functionality is directly and easily accessible from the specific section of the website where the information is being prioritised.
- Single point of contact for DSA related enquiries
- Authorities (meaning Member States' authorities, the EU Commission and the European Board for Digital Services) can email: DSA_Authorities@awaze.com
- Recipients of Services (see definition above) can email: DSA_RecipientsofService@awaze.com
The contact details above can only be used for DSA related enquiries. Any other enquiries will not be responded to.
We will endeavour to respond to any communication received through these channels within 28 days of receipt.
You may communicate in English and Danish when using this email address. Enquiries submitted in other languages may be responded to using translation tools.
- Notification of Illegal Content
If you wish to report Illegal Content, you can message us using this form: Form
We will promptly confirm receipt of any reports of Illegal Content, and act within a reasonable period of time to determine the substantiveness of the report.
Notifications given by trusted flaggers (a status which will be awarded by the Digital Services Coordinator of the member state in which the applicant is established) will be given priority and will be processed without undue delay.
We will endeavour to provide a substantive response within 28 days of receipt, where possible. When we notify our decision, we will also provide information about the possibilities for redress in respect of that decision.
If you frequently submit notices and complaints that are clearly unfounded, we will issue a warning. If that warning is ignored, we will suspend the processing of notices and complaints submitted by you for a reasonable period of time.
- Removal of Illegal Content
If information that we have published on our website, which has been provided to us by a Recipient of Service, proves to be Illegal Content, as defined by the DSA, we will provide the relevant Recipient of Service with a statement of reasons for our decision and include information regarding:
- any restrictions on the visibility of specific items of information, including removal of content, disabling access to content, or demoting content;
- suspension, termination or other restriction of monetary payments;
- suspension or termination of the provision of the service in whole or in part;
- suspension or termination of the Recipient of Service’s access to their login.
- Complaints
Complaints regarding our handling of notices regarding Illegal Content and any decisions taken in response to notifications must be sent to us at DSA_RecipientsofService@awaze.com
Complaints must be made within six months of receipt of our decision.
Recipients of Service who have received decisions regarding Illegal Content are entitled to use an out-of-court dispute settlement body certified by a Digital Services Coordinator to resolve disputes relating to those decisions and complaints that have not been resolved via our internal complaint-handling system.