EU: Meta, TikTok Breached DSA Transparency Rules

The European Commission has preliminarily found that Meta (Facebook and Instagram) and ByteDance-owned TikTok breached the EU Digital Services Act by failing to give independent researchers adequate access to public platform data. The Commission also found Meta’s Facebook and Instagram fell short on ‘notice and action’ duties, using burdensome reporting and appeals processes and so‑called dark patterns that hinder users from flagging illegal content. The rulings say the platforms’ limited data access and procedures hamper scrutiny of illegal or harmful content and both companies can now respond before the Commission issues a final decision that could include fines of up to 6% of global turnover. Meta disputes that it breached the DSA and says it has updated reporting, appeals and data‑access tools, while TikTok warned DSA requirements can clash with EU data‑protection rules and urged regulatory clarity. Rights groups and experts welcomed the preliminary findings and urged the Commission to act quickly; the action follows other ongoing DSA probes of platforms such as X and Temu.