EU accuses Meta and TikTok of breaching transparency rules
[October 25, 2025] By
SAM McNEIL
BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union on Friday said Meta and TitTok had
breached their transparency obligations after an investigation that
could result in billions of dollars in fines.
The inquiry found both companies had violated the Digital Services Act,
the EU’s trailblazing digital rule book that imposes a set of strict
requirements designed to keep internet users safe online, including
making it easier to report counterfeit or unsafe goods or flag harmful
or illegal content like hate speech, as well as a ban on ads targeted at
children.
“We are making sure platforms are accountable for their services, as
ensured by EU law, towards users and society,” said Henna Virkunnen, the
EU’s executive vice president for tech sovereignty, security and
democracy in a post on X. ““Our democracies depend on trust. That means
platforms must empower users, respect their rights, and open their
systems to scrutiny. The DSA makes this a duty, not a choice.”
The 27-nation bloc launched investigations in 2024 into both Meta and
TikTok. They found that the companies did not allow easy access to data
for researchers. They also found that Meta's Instagram and Facebook did
not make it easy for users to flag illegal content and effectively
challenge moderation decisions. “Allowing researchers access to
platforms’ data is an essential transparency obligation under the DSA,
as it provides public scrutiny into the potential impact of platforms on
our physical and mental health,” according to a statement by the
European Commission, the EU's executive body. The inquiry found both
Facebook and Instagram deployed “dark patterns” or deceptive interface
designs for its protocol for flagging malicious content like child sex
abuse or terrorist content. That led to a kind of obfuscation, with the
Commission saying it was “confusing and dissuading” and “may therefore
be ineffective.”
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A view of the TikTok app logo, in Tokyo, Japan, Sept. 28, 2020. (AP
Photo/Kiichiro Sato, File)
 Meta spokesperson Ben Walters said
the company disagrees with the findings but would continue to
negotiate with the EU over compliance. "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,” he said.
TikTok said Friday that it would review the findings but said that
the transparency obligations of the DSA conflict with the EU's
strict privacy rules, the General Data Protection Regulation. "If it
is not possible to fully comply with both, we urge regulators to
provide clarity on how these obligations should be reconciled,” said
Paolo Ganino, a spokesperson for TikTok.
Meta and TikTok can now file a response to the inquiry. Ultimately,
the EU could fine the companies up to 6% of their annual profits —
which could be in the billions.
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