Preliminary findings released by the European Commission have found that Meta and TikTok have breached their obligations under the Digital Services Act (DSA), which requires them to have measures in place against harmful and illegal content. There were two main breaches that the Commission flagged against Meta, while TikTok fell foul in one case.
For Meta and TikTok, the Commission said neither had given researchers adequate access to public data; it suggested that platforms may have put in place burdensome procedures and tools for researchers to request data access. Meta was also called out for not giving Facebook and Instagram users a user-friendly and easily accessible mechanism for flagging illegal content. The Commission said that Meta’s reporting process had unnecessary steps, additional demands, and used deceptive interface designs that can make the whole process more ineffective.
As expected, Meta has come out stating that it disagrees with the suggestion that it has breached the DSA. In a statement to Reuters, a Meta spokesperson said:
“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.”
Meanwhile, TikTok took a less definitive position, stating that it is reviewing the findings. As TikTok was flagged for not making it easy enough for researchers to access public data, it has been argued that easing data safeguards would put the DSA and the GDPR in direct tension and has urged regulators to provide more clarity on reconciling the issue.
The Commission has now given Meta and TikTok the chance to examine the situation and remedy the breaches. However, if the preliminary findings are confirmed, then the Commission could impose a fine of up to 6% of annual global sales.
Source: Reuters
1 Comment
Load the comments and join the conversation!
Read the comments, ask the editors questions, show respect and join the conversation.