EU Charges TikTok With Breaching Digital Services Act Over Ad Transparency

The European Commission has formally accused TikTok of breaching the EU's Digital Services Act (DSA) by failing to provide adequate transparency around advertisements on its platform. The Commission's preliminary findings highlight that TikTok's ad repository lacks necessary details such as who paid for ads, targeted audiences, and ad content, limiting its usefulness for detecting scams, disinformation, and coordinated influence campaigns. As a result, TikTok's parent company, ByteDance, faces a potential fine of up to 6% of its global annual revenue if these violations are confirmed. TikTok has expressed commitment to meeting DSA obligations but disagrees with some of the Commission's interpretations, criticizing the reliance on preliminary findings without clear public guidelines. This charge follows earlier proceedings against TikTok related to election interference risks, reflecting broader EU scrutiny of the platform. European regulators emphasize that ad transparency is crucial for protecting public interest, democratic elections, and consumer safety.