European Commission accuses Meta and TikTok of breaching EU digital rules
The European Commission has reached the preliminary conclusion that both Meta and TikTok are in breach of the Digital Services Act (DSA), the EU’s landmark legislation regulating large online platforms. The announcement was made on Friday, with both companies facing potential fines of up to 6 per cent of their global turnover if they fail to address the alleged violations.
According to the Commission, both platforms are failing to provide researchers with sufficient access to public data, making it difficult to evaluate whether they are doing enough to protect users (particularly minors) from illegal or harmful content. The Commission said Meta and TikTok had imposed “excessively burdensome procedures” on researchers, resulting in incomplete or unreliable data.
Failures in user protection
The Commission also accused Meta, which operates Facebook and Instagram, of not offering users a simple mechanism to report illegal content, such as child abuse imagery or terrorist material. It added that users lacked adequate ways to appeal decisions when their content was removed or their accounts suspended.
“Our democracies depend on trust,” said Henna Virkkunen, Vice-President of the European Commission. “This means that platforms must empower users, respect their rights, and open their systems to scrutiny. The DSA makes this a duty, not a choice.”
Both Meta and TikTok now have the opportunity to review the Commission’s findings, submit their comments, and adjust their practices before a final decision is made. If they are ultimately found to have violated the DSA, the penalties could be severe.
Meta and TikTok deny allegations
Meta has rejected the accusations, stating that it has already adapted its systems to comply with the new European rules. “Since the law came into effect, we have made changes to our content reporting options, our appeals process and our data access tools, and we are confident that these solutions meet EU legal requirements,” a company spokesperson said.
TikTok, owned by Chinese group ByteDance, also pushed back, highlighting its commitment to transparency and research collaboration. “We are currently reviewing the European Commission’s conclusions,” a spokesperson said, arguing that the data access requirements “directly conflict with the DSA and the GDPR (the European Data Protection Regulation).”
The investigations into Meta and TikTok began last year as part of the EU’s wider efforts to enforce the DSA. In force for major online platforms since August 2023, the regulation obliges social networks, app stores, and marketplaces to curb the spread of illegal and harmful content, combat disinformation, and strengthen user rights.
© PHOTO ANDRE M. CHANG / ZUMA PRESS WIRE
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