This article first appeared on GuruFocus.
The European Commission said Friday it believes both TikTok, owned by ByteDance, and Meta (NASDAQ:META) may have fallen short of key transparency rules under the EU’s Digital Services Act. Regulators said the two platforms made it unnecessarily hard for researchers to access public dataan important requirement designed to keep online platforms accountable.
Meta also came under extra scrutiny for not giving users simple ways to report illegal content or challenge moderation decisions on Facebook and Instagram. The Commission said those gaps run against the DSA’s goal of ensuring users’ rights are respected and platforms remain open to scrutiny.
If the findings are confirmed, both companies could face fines of up to 6% of their global annual revenue, along with potential ongoing penalties until they fix the issues. The cases are part of a broader EU push to hold Big Tech to higher standards on transparency and safety.
Our democracies depend on trust, said EU executive Henna Virkkunen. The DSA makes that a duty, not a choice.