Brussels: The European Commission has flagged major social media platforms — Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok — for violating key EU digital rules.
The alleged breaches relate to transparency, user protection, and content moderation under the Digital Services Act (DSA), prompting potential investigations and regulatory action to ensure compliance across the bloc.
Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok, now has the option to defend itself against the allegations or make adjustments to its platforms to avoid financial penalties.
According to the commission, the three platforms do not provide researchers with sufficient insight into their data as required under the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA).
Such publicly accessible data sets should enable scientists to investigate, for example, the effects of content glorifying violence against children.
Additionally, the commission has alleged that Meta does not offer simple ways to report illegal content and to challenge content moderation decisions.
Should the commission ultimately decide that the companies have violated EU law, it can impose a fine of up to 6 per cent of the companies’ worldwide annual turnover.
“Our democracies depend on trust. That means platforms must empower users, respect their rights and open their systems to scrutiny,” said European Commission Vice President Henna Virkkunen.
The preliminary findings “are making sure platforms are accountable for their services, as ensured by EU law, towards users and society,” she said.
The assessments presented on Friday are part of a broader probe into the three platforms that have been running since 2024.
Meta is also under investigation over suspicions that the U.S. Companies may be violating rules on the protection of minors by not protecting children sufficiently from addictive algorithms.
Officials in Brussels had recently expressed frustration at Meta’s lack of cooperation.
The publication of the preliminary findings is therefore likely to be used as leverage in the deadlocked discussions with the U.S. Company.
The findings could increase tensions with U.S. President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly described EU legislation as anti-competitive.
