Both platforms have now time to reply to the findings or face a penalty of up to 6% of their global annual turnover.
Meta does not make it easy enough for users to file complaints about illegal content online on its platforms Instagram and Facebook, the European Commission said on Friday, as it gets closer to wrapping up its investigation into the Big Tech giant under EU online platform rules.
Users might want to report illegal content they see online, but currently they do not find help or receive a reply to their reports, according to the Commission's preliminary findings.
The findings come as the Commission began investigations under the Digital Services Act (DSA) — rules that aim to combat the spread of illegal content and products online — into the platforms last year.
Euronews understands that the cases began after numerous complaints were filed with the content regulator in Ireland, where Meta’s EU headquarters are based. The Commission has been working with the Irish authority on the case.
The findings are a first step in the investigation, and the platforms now have time to reply in writing. There is no legal deadline for this so the process could take some time.
After the counterarguments of the platforms, the Commission can eventually settle the case or impose penalties of up to 6% of the worldwide annual turnover.
Systemic risks posed to society examined
Separately, TikTok and Meta are in breach of the DSA for failing to provide researchers with adequate access to public data, the Commission said.
When it comes to researcher data, the DSA specifies that very large online platforms — those with more than 45 million users per month — must grant accredited researchers access to public data to monitor content hosted on their services.
The aim is to enable a deeper understanding of the systemic risks posed to society through the online world, as well as to support effective oversight of DSA compliance.
The broader investigation into Meta’s compliance with the rules, which started in April 2024, also focuses on deceptive advertising and political content.
The investigation into TikTok, which started in February last year, is also linked to the protection of minors and advertising transparency.
The rest of the proceedings continue: the Commission investigates the different elements of the probes in steps.
In total, the Commission has initiated some 14 proceedings for possible breaches of the DSA and has already published preliminary findings in cases related to X, TikTok, AliExpress and Temu. None of the probes have been wrapped up yet.
