Oct. 24 (UPI) — The European Union on Friday accused Meta and TikTok of breaking transparency rules of the EU’s Digital Services Act.
The European Commission, which is the EU’s executive arm, said it found preliminarily that both U.S. social media giants allegedly breached its legal duty to give researchers “adequate access” to publicly available data under the DSA.
“The Commission also preliminarily found Meta, for both Instagram and Facebook, in breach of its obligations to provide users simple mechanisms to notify illegal content, as well as to allow them to effectively challenge content moderation decisions,” according to EU officials.
It pointed to “burdensome procedures” that often leave social media researchers with “partial or unreliable data, impacting their ability to conduct research, such as whether users, including minors, are exposed to illegal or harmful content.”
“Our democracies depend on trust,” said Henna Virkkunen, the EU’s executive vice-president for tech sovereignty, security and democracy. “That means platforms must empower users, respect their rights, and open their systems to scrutiny. The DSA makes this a duty, not a choice,” she added.
A Meta spokesman said the Instagram and Facebook parent company disagreed with “any suggestion” it breached the DSA, saying it continued to negotiate with the commission on these matters.
“In the European Union, we have introduced changes to our content reporting options, appeals process, and data access tools since the DSA came into force and are confident that these solutions match what is required under the law in the EU,” Meta spokesperson Ben Walters said in a statement.
The Digital Services Act was intended to check the growing power and influence of big tech firms. But free speech advocates argue that it raises red flags over privacy issues.
A number of investigations have been launched via the landmark DSA, including AliExpress and Temu.
Meanwhile, TikTok told CNBC it was “committed” to transparency and “values” the “contribution of researchers” to the social media industry and claimed “substantial investments” and shared access in data sharing.
“We are reviewing the European Commission’s findings, but requirements to ease data safeguards place the DSA and GDPR in direct tension,” according to TikTok.
“If it is not possible to fully comply with both, we urge regulators to provide clarity on how these obligations should be reconciled.”
On Friday, the EU’s Virkkunen said in a statement the commission was ensuring “platforms are accountable for their services, as ensured by EU law, towards users and society.”
