The European Commission on Friday issued preliminary findings that Meta and TikTok breached transparency obligations in the Digital Services Act by failing to give researchers adequate access to public platform data.
The Commission also said Meta’s Facebook and Instagram make it unduly difficult for users to report illegal content, citing confusing or burdensome reporting flows.
Meta disputed the assessment, noting recent changes to reporting, appeals, and data-access tools.
When TI reached out for a comment, TikTok said in a statement that it is “committed to transparency,” has given “almost 1,000 research teams” access via its Research Tools and is reviewing the findings, but argued that easing data safeguards puts the DSA and GDPR “in direct tension.” Further, they added, “If it is not possible to fully comply with both, we urge regulators to provide clarity on how these obligations should be reconciled.”
If confirmed, violations can draw fines of up to 6% of global annual turnover.
The companies can examine the findings and respond before any final decision.
