EU says TikTok and Meta broke transparency rules under tech law
In this photo illustration, iPhone screens display various social media apps on the screens on February 9, 2025 in Bath, England.
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The European Commission, the executive arm of the European Union, said on Friday that it had preliminarily found both TikTok and Meta in breach of its transparency rules.
It accused the U.S. tech giants of breaching their obligation to give researchers “adequate access” to public data under the Digital Services Act (DSA) — the EU’s landmark tech legislation.
“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,” it added in a statement.
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 opened numerous investigations under another landmark law known as the Digital Markets Act.
“We disagree with any suggestion that we have breached the DSA, and we continue to negotiate with the European Commission on these matters,” Meta spokesperson Ben Walters said in a statement.
“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,” he added.
CNBC has reached out to TikTok for comment.
The EU says researchers should have access to social media platforms’ data, as this enables the public to scrutinize any potential physical or mental health impacts of the technology.
The Commission said in its preliminary findings that 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 research, such as whether users, including minors, are exposed to illegal or harmful content.”
The tech companies are now invited by the Commission to examine its findings and reply in writing.
If the Commission’s preliminary findings are upheld, it has the power to issue a non-compliance decision which could carry with it a fine of up to 6% of the total worldwide annual turnover — a hefty amount for Meta and TikTok owner ByteDance.
— CNBC’s Arjun Kharpal contributed to this report.
This is a breaking news story and will be updated shortly.
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