Meta and TikTok accused of data access violations, EU may impose fines of up to 6% of global revenue
Preliminary investigations by the European Union show that Meta Platforms and TikTok have violated the EU Digital Services Act by failing to provide independent researchers with convenient access to data. The European Commission pointed out that Meta's mechanisms have set up unnecessary processes that affect the tagging and removal of illegal content. Both companies can contest the allegations, and if they do not rectify the situation, they may face fines of up to 6% of their global annual sales. Meta stated that it disagrees with the allegations and is negotiating with the EU
According to preliminary investigation results from the European Union, Meta Platforms (META.US) and TikTok, owned by ByteDance, have both violated EU regulations regarding the management of illegal content. The European Commission, the EU's executive body, stated that Meta's Facebook and Instagram, as well as TikTok, have violated the EU's Digital Services Act (DSA), with the core issue being that the platforms did not provide independent researchers with convenient access to platform data.
The European Commission pointed out in a statement on Friday: "The current (data access) mechanisms employed by Meta seem to impose multiple unnecessary processes and additional requirements on users, which may hinder the effectiveness of its mechanisms for flagging and removing illegal content."
The investigation results stem from the EU's ongoing inquiry into the two companies based on content moderation-related rules.
Previous reports indicated that Meta also faces additional allegations under the Digital Services Act: first, when user posts or accounts are removed, the platform did not allow users to submit sufficiently detailed appeal materials; second, there are flaws in the "notice and action mechanism" used to flag illegal posts to initiate removal processes.
Currently, both companies have the opportunity to contest the European Commission's allegations and make commitments on how to address the issues identified in the investigation. If the objections are deemed invalid and they fail to rectify the issues as required, they may face fines under the Digital Services Act, with penalties potentially reaching up to 6% of the company's global annual revenue.
A Meta spokesperson stated: "We do not agree with any claims that we have violated the Digital Services Act and are still negotiating with the European Commission on these issues." The spokesperson added that since the Digital Services Act came into effect, Meta has adjusted its content moderation and appeal processes and optimized its data access mechanisms.
A TikTok spokesperson stated that the company is evaluating the investigation results and noted that the requirement to "expand data access" conflicts with EU privacy regulations.
"If it is not possible to fully comply with both requirements simultaneously, we urge regulators to clarify how these obligations should be coordinated," the TikTok spokesperson said
