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Meta and TikTok Accused by EU of Failing to Provide Adequate Data Access

By  |  October 26, 2025

The European Commission has accused U.S. technology giant Meta and Chinese-owned social media platform TikTok of failing to meet their legal obligations under the European Union’s Digital Services Act (DSA), according to a Reuters report. The Commission’s preliminary findings, released on Friday, allege that both companies breached requirements designed to ensure transparency and accountability for large online platforms.

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    Per Reuters, the EU’s DSA mandates that major tech companies such as social media and search platforms implement effective systems to curb illegal and harmful content and allow independent researchers access to public data. The Commission said that Meta’s Facebook and Instagram did not appear to provide simple, user-friendly mechanisms for reporting illegal material, including child sexual abuse and terrorist content. Similarly, both Meta and TikTok allegedly made the process for researchers to obtain data unnecessarily complicated and restrictive.

    “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,” the European Commission said in its statement.

    According to Reuters, the investigation found that Meta’s procedures involved multiple unnecessary steps and relied on “deceptive interface designs” that could discourage users from reporting illegal content. The Commission stated that such practices could render Meta’s content reporting systems ineffective. TikTok, meanwhile, was cited for similar barriers in granting researchers data access, despite its public commitments to transparency.

    Read more: Big Tech Lawyer Involved in Selection of Former Facebook Lobbyist as Top EU Privacy Regulator

    The companies now have the opportunity to respond to the Commission’s findings and propose corrective measures. The EU noted that these findings are preliminary and do not predetermine the final outcome of the investigation. However, if confirmed, Meta and TikTok could face penalties of up to 6% of their annual global revenue.

    A Meta spokesperson told Reuters that the company disagreed with the suggestion it violated the DSA and highlighted that it has introduced several changes since the law came into effect. “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,” the spokesperson said.

    A TikTok representative stated that the platform was reviewing the Commission’s findings, per Bloomberg. The spokesperson added that some data-sharing requirements could conflict with the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). “If it is not possible to fully comply with both, we urge regulators to provide clarity on how these obligations should be reconciled,” they said.

    Source: Reuters