TikTok and Meta Platforms breached transparency obligations under the Digital Services Act, European Commission announces
The European Commission announced on Friday that it has preliminarily found that the TikTok and Meta Platforms (owned by Facebook and Instagram) violated the transparency obligations provided for by the Digital Services Act (DSA), the European legislative framework designed to limit the power of technological giants, reports CNBC.
TikTok application PHOTO: EPA-EFE
According to the Commission, the two American companies did not provide researchers with adequate access to public data on the platforms, thus violating one of the key requirements of the legislation. In addition, Meta would have violated the obligation to provide users with simple mechanisms for reporting illegal content and clear procedures for contesting moderation decisions, according to News.
“Facebook, Instagram and TikTok may have established overly complicated procedures for researchers to access public data, leading to incomplete or unreliable data and affecting their ability to assess the exposure of users, including minors, to illegal or harmful content,” it is stated in the official statement.
Meta representatives said they do not agree with the allegations and that the platforms have already implemented changes to reporting and appeal processes, as well as data access tools, in accordance with the DSA. TikTok has said it is “committed to transparency” and that nearly 1,000 research teams have already accessed data through its research tools.
The European Commission is now inviting the companies to respond in writing to the preliminary findings. If they are confirmed, the institution can issue a non-compliance decision, which could attract a fine of up to 6% of the companies' global annual turnover — a sanction that could amount to billions of euros.
Meta was also fined €200 million under the Digital Markets Act (DMA) in April for the way it collects user consent, and TikTok was previously fined €530 million by the Irish data protection authority for transferring user information to China.
This is the latest action by Brussels in its campaign to regulate large digital platforms, which aims to increase transparency and protect users, especially minors, online.
