EU says TikTok and Meta broke transparency rules under tech law
In this photo illustration, iPhone screens show various social media applications on February 9, 2025 in Bath, England.
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The European Commission, the executive arm of the European Union, said in a statement on Friday that it had first found that both TikTok and Meta had violated transparency rules.
The US accused the tech giants of violating their obligations under the Digital Services Act (DSA), the EU’s landmark technology legislation, to provide researchers with “adequate access” to public data.
“The Commission also found that, in the first instance, Meta for both Instagram and Facebook had breached their obligations to provide users with simple mechanisms to report illegal content, as well as to enable them to effectively challenge content moderation decisions,” it said in a statement. he added.
The Digital Services Act is among a handful of EU legislation designed to keep the power of Big Tech in check. The commission has also launched several investigations under another landmark law known as the Digital Markets Act.
“We disagree with any suggestion that we have breached the DSA and continue to negotiate with the European Commission on these matters,” Meta spokesman Ben Walters said in a statement. he said.
“In the European Union, we have made changes to our content reporting options, objection process and data access tools since the DSA came into force and we are confident that these solutions match those required under EU law,” he added.
CNBC has reached out to TikTok for comment.
The EU says researchers should have access to data from social media platforms because it would allow the public to study the potential effects of technology on physical or mental health.
In its preliminary findings, the commission said Facebook, Instagram and TikTok “may have put in place burdensome procedures and tools for researchers to request access to public data.” This often leaves them with partial or unreliable data, impacting their ability to conduct investigations such as whether users, including minors, have been exposed to illegal or harmful content, he said.
Technology companies are now invited by the Commission to review its findings and respond in writing.
The Commission has the power to issue a non-compliance decision that, if confirmed, could lead to a fine of up to 6% of total annual worldwide turnover; That’s a pretty big amount for Meta and TikTok owner ByteDance.
— CNBC’s Arjun Kharpal contributed to this report.
This is breaking news and will be updated shortly.
