EU says Meta and TikTok breached transparency rules under Digital Services Act
The European Commission has found Meta and TikTok in preliminary breach of EU transparency rules, accusing them of limiting researchers’ access to data and making it difficult for users to report illegal content under the Digital Services Act.
The European Commission said on Friday that Meta and TikTok have failed to meet their transparency obligations under the Digital Services Act (DSA), according to its preliminary findings, News.Az reports, citing Reuters.
In a statement, the EU’s executive body said the companies may have restricted researchers’ access to public data — a key requirement of the DSA designed to ensure public scrutiny of how major platforms influence society.
“Facebook, Instagram and TikTok may have put in place burdensome procedures and tools for researchers to request access to public data,” the Commission said, adding that such access is “an essential transparency obligation” under the DSA because it allows independent experts to assess the platforms’ impact on users’ physical and mental health.
The Commission also accused Meta — the parent company of Facebook and Instagram — of making it unnecessarily complicated for users to flag illegal content, including child sexual abuse material and terrorist content. Officials said Meta’s reporting tools impose “unnecessary steps” and use “deceptive interface designs”, which could confuse users and discourage them from reporting harmful content.
“Such practices can be confusing and dissuading. Meta’s mechanisms to flag and remove illegal content may therefore be ineffective,” the statement added.
A Meta spokesperson told Reuters the company disagreed with the Commission’s assessment, saying it had already introduced changes to its content reporting systems and data access tools in line with EU law.
“We are confident that these solutions match what is required under the DSA,” the spokesperson said.
TikTok did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The European Commission emphasized that these are preliminary findings, meaning Meta and TikTok will have the opportunity to review the conclusions and take corrective measures before any final decision is made.
If the Commission confirms the breaches after consultations, both companies could face fines of up to 6% of their annual global revenue — a potentially significant penalty under the EU’s sweeping new tech regulation framework.
The Digital Services Act, which took full effect for major online platforms in 2024, requires tech giants to prevent the spread of illegal and harmful content and ensure transparency in how their algorithms and moderation systems operate.
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