Media minister demands Meta comply with European legislation
Flemish Media minister Cieltje Van Achter has written to Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, calling on it to correctly apply the rules of the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA) in Flanders. Her demand comes after changes were implemented in the Netherlands. Last Friday, Van Achter expressed her satisfaction that the European Commission was forcing TikTok to change its addictive design for minors.
On 2 October, a Dutch court ruled against Meta's platforms for not complying with the DSA. Users must be able to easily choose which algorithm applies to them. They must be given the choice of whether they want to see the posts on their timeline chronologically or tailored to their personal preferences and behaviour.
Van Achter has called on Meta to apply these European rules correctly in Flanders as well. “The DSA applies throughout the European Union. The changes that Meta has already implemented for Dutch users must therefore also be made available to Flemish users immediately,” she said.
According to Van Achter, it is positive that the changes have been implemented in the Netherlands. “But these rules do not come from Dutch law, they come from Europe. It is unacceptable that Flemish users today do not have access to less addictive algorithms than Dutch users.”
At the end of last week, she expressed her satisfaction that the European Commission was “showing its teeth” and forcing TikTok to change its addictive design for minors. Last Friday, the Commission concluded that TikTok is violating the DSA because the company is not taking sufficient measures to address the risks of features such as infinite scrolling, autoplay, push notifications and highly personalised recommendations.
“This is exactly what the DSA is for: social media must stop using addictive designs that glue children and adolescents to their screens,” Van Achter said.
“Europe is placing the responsibility where it belongs: with the tech companies that deliberately build in these incentives to maximise screen time. Anyone doing business in Europe must follow our rules. Period. TikTok must change its design, and quickly.”
Van Achter's actions are in line with the Veilig Online (Safe Online) action plan, which the Flemish government approved on 19 December. This plan aims to better protect people from addictive algorithms and places the responsibility on tech companies. It also aims to empower users by making media literacy a basic skill.
#FlandersNewsService | Flemish Media minister Cieltje Van Achter © BELGA PHOTO DIRK WAEM
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