You won the decision. The account is still disabled.
A certified dispute body can decide that the platform got it wrong. It cannot make the platform act on the decision. That gap is in the law, and it is what you are seeing when the decision says restore and the login screen does not.
Short answer: Article 21(2) says the certified body cannot impose a binding settlement on the parties. The platform decides whether and how to implement, and it is expected to engage with the process in good faith. Keep the decision and every date, ask the body how it follows up implementation, file with your national Digital Services Coordinator under Article 53, and take legal advice on a letter or a damages claim under Article 54 if the loss is real. A decision is paper until it is implemented.
What you actually won
An out-of-court dispute settlement body under Article 21 decides the dispute you filed. The decision is reasoned and communicated. It is also, by design, not an order the body can enforce: Article 21(2) says the certified body "shall not have the power to impose a binding settlement of the dispute on the parties".
Two decisions look like wins. One is on the merits after the platform supplied the content. The other is a default decision because the platform never supplied it. In ACE's published report for April 2025 to March 2026, 72% of decisions were default; where content was reviewed, ACE overturned about 35%. Neither is implemented automatically.
ACE also reports that, after communicating more than 1,000 decisions, it is only aware of a handful of cases where platforms have implemented one. What you won is a finding and a record: the case number, the date, what the body decided and what it said the platform should do.
Why it is not enforced yet
Implementation sits with the platform. The body can decide; it cannot execute. ACE's own framing is that decisions are non-binding and it is up to platforms whether to implement them, though they must engage in good faith. Good faith is a duty to engage, not obedience.
The DSA attaches no automatic enforcement step to Article 21. What follows a decision runs through other institutions: the Digital Services Coordinator, a court, or a lawyer's letter that makes non-implementation a documented legal problem.
Community reports show the same pattern. In EU case write-ups from October 2026, a September ruling ordering manual restoration was reported as not complied with; another person asked what to do with a decision that said restore; in a separate regulator case outside the DSA, the platform told a committee the account was restored while the person could not log in. These are community reports, not statistics. They describe Article 21(2) working as written.
First steps after the decision
The order below protects the record each step depends on.
Save the decision as a document
Store the decision file, case number, date, findings and any compliance date the body set. Email a copy to yourself and keep one offline. A screenshot is not the decision.
Check what it actually decided
A merits decision names a finding. A default decision records that the platform did not supply the content. Some name a compliance date. Which one you hold decides the wording of the next letter.
Send one implementation demand
Write to the platform through the channel the body used. Quote the case number and decision date, state what was ordered, and ask for written confirmation of implementation by a clear date. Keep delivery evidence.
Ask the body what happens next
Bodies track implementation differently; ACE has said it is pushing platforms for implementation data. Ask what its follow-up process is, what it needs from you, and whether it records non-implementation. Keep the reply.
Escalate by forum, not by repetition
The Digital Services Coordinator under Article 53 assesses a complaint about a platform duty and forwards it to the coordinator of the country of establishment; for Meta that is Ireland. A lawyer's letter or a court route under Article 54 comes after if the loss justifies it. Re-sending messages is not escalation.
Not sure which forum can still hear your case? A free diagnosis checks the decision, the platform and your country against the routes that remain. Start here.
What waiting costs
Time strips the record
Dates, screenshots and replies are easy to lose and hard to rebuild. A decision that is not implemented is a live problem, not a closed one.
Do instead: assemble the file now, while every date is still recoverable.Repetition instead of escalation
Sending the decision again to the same queue produces acknowledgements, not enforcement. The file that moves has a legal recipient and one defined ask.
Do instead: send the demand once, then move to the forum that can act on it.Damages need numbers
Article 54 lets you seek compensation for damage or loss, but a court needs provable loss: invoices, ad spend, cancelled work. For a personal account without revenue, the cost rarely fits. Ask a lawyer.
Do instead: collect the money evidence before deciding.Paid enforcement is not a lever
No private service can impose what the body itself cannot impose. A fee can buy work on your file; it cannot buy authority over the platform's implementation.
Do instead: keep the money for a lawyer who can act before a court if the loss justifies it.The routes after a decision
Each route answers a different question. None is obliged to deliver the outcome you want.
| Route | What it gives | What it doesn't | Typical time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Follow-up with the dispute body | A record that implementation is pending, and a process answer | Enforcement power; the body cannot impose a settlement | Days to weeks for a reply, if any |
| Digital Services Coordinator (Article 53) | Assesses a complaint and forwards it to the country of establishment (Ireland for Meta) | A decision on your account; a deadline for the coordinator | Months |
| Lawyer's letter to the platform | A named legal recipient, a dated demand and a documented lever, especially when money is at stake | Reinstatement; the platform still decides implementation | Weeks |
| Court claim (Article 54) | The only route that can order a remedy and award damages | Speed, low cost or automatic enforcement; ask a lawyer | Months to years |
| A new internal complaint | A fresh record inside the platform; Article 20 keeps internal complaints open for at least six months | Implementation of the old decision; a different queue | No published timeline |
A follow-up sequence, in order
- Day 0 — decision fileDecision document, case number, decision date, compliance date and the platform's replies.
- Day 0 — timelineRestriction date, every appeal and complaint date, each answer and the decision date.
- Day 1–3 — one implementation demandCase number, decision date, outcome ordered, and written confirmation requested by a clear date.
- Day 7 — body follow-upAsk how the body tracks non-implementation and what it needs from you.
- Day 14–30 — coordinator complaintDecision, non-implementation, dates and platform replies; Article 53 forwards the file, to Ireland for Meta.
- Week 4 onward — legal adviceA letter or an Article 54 claim if the loss is measurable. Ask a lawyer what applies.
An order of work, not a legal deadline. Only a lawyer can tell you which limitation periods apply in your country.
When to involve a lawyer
Most won decisions never need one. These are the cases where the cost starts to look proportionate:
- Measurable loss: ad spend, paused campaigns, client work, creator income or seasonal sales.
- The platform says it implemented the decision but the account is still disabled.
- The compliance date the decision named has passed with no written answer.
- You are considering an Article 54 damages claim or a court route.
- Your national law may treat a point in the decision differently.
We are not a law firm and this is not legal advice. For a case with money behind it, ask a lawyer in your country before you file anything.
What this page can't tell you
This page cannot tell you whether your decision has a compliance date, what your coordinator will do with a file, whether a court would find measurable loss, or which route your country's rules make available.
This is general information, not legal advice. We are not an out-of-court dispute settlement body, we do not file for anyone and we do not represent you. For a decision with money behind it, ask a lawyer.
Where this page stops and your case begins
This page gives you the general route. Your notice, account type, country and the steps you already tried decide the channel, the evidence and the deadlines. That is the part a general guide cannot do for you — and it is the part that decides whether the appeal is read or lost in the wrong queue.
- Free diagnosisRestriction type, the official channel that applies, and the first three evidence items for your case. Before you pay anything.
- Starter — $9The first appeal text and the first channel, for people who want to send it themselves.
- Self-Help — $29The full channel map (first appeal + escalation), evidence checklist, deadline calendar and two follow-up texts.
- Guided — $49Self-Help plus a human review of your case, a personalised appeal and one round of edits.
One-off, one case. Delivered by email in 1 business day (Guided: up to 3). 7-day refund if the pack is not delivered or started. We never ask for your password or account access, and we make no promise about the outcome. Paid services are 18+.
Frequently asked questions
Is the decision binding on the platform?
No. Article 21(2) says a certified body cannot impose a binding settlement on the parties. The platform decides whether and how to implement, and the process expects good-faith engagement.
Can the platform ignore a decision?
The body cannot enforce it, so implementation depends on the platform and the pressure around it. That is why the file moves to the coordinator, a lawyer's letter or a court, where non-implementation becomes a legal problem.
Where do I file if the decision is not implemented?
With your national Digital Services Coordinator under Article 53. It assesses the complaint and may transmit it to the coordinator of the country of establishment; for Meta that is Ireland. It is a router, not a decision on your account.
Can I claim damages?
Article 54 lets you seek compensation before a court for damage or loss. It needs provable loss and legal advice, and it is not a substitute for a reinstatement route.
Do I have to start a new dispute?
No. Keep the decision you have and escalate non-implementation. A new dispute is a new case with its own scope and fees; it does not enforce the old decision.
A decision is the middle of the case.
Tell us the platform, the decision date and what the platform has answered since. The free diagnosis names the restriction type and the route that can still hear it.
General information, not legal advice. We are not an out-of-court dispute settlement body. We never ask for your password or account access, and we make no promise about the outcome.
Official sources used on this page
- EUR-Lex — Regulation (EU) 2022/2065 (Digital Services Act) (Articles 20, 21, 53 and 54)
- European Commission — Out-of-court dispute settlement bodies under the DSA
- Appeals Centre Europe — Transparency Report, April 2025 – March 2026
- Appeals Centre Europe — how the dispute process works
- User Rights (Berlin) — certified out-of-court dispute settlement
- European Commission — Two years of the Digital Services Act
Official law, EU institutions and dispute-body reports. Re-check them before relying on wording; every timeline here is an estimate.