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Meta, TikTok did not grant researchers adequate access, EU

says

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EU says Instagram and Facebook fail to police illegal

posts

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Companies can take measures to remedy breaches, Commission

says

(Adds reaction from TikTok)

By Benoit Van Overstraeten and Alessandro Parodi

BRUSSELS, Oct 24 (Reuters) - U.S. tech giant Meta

and Chinese-owned social media app TikTok breached

their legal obligation to grant researchers adequate access to

public data, the European Commission said in preliminary

findings of an investigation released on Friday.

The European Union has cracked down on Big Tech using the

Digital Services Act, which requires large platforms such as

social media sites and search engines to have robust measures in

place to mitigate the spread of illegal and harmful content.

A Meta spokesperson told Reuters the company disagreed with

the suggestion that it breached the DSA. TikTok, meanwhile, said

it was committed to transparency.

"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 Commission said in a statement.

The Commission added that Meta's Facebook and Instagram did

not appear to provide a user-friendly and easily accessible

mechanism for flagging illegal content, such as child sexual

abuse material and terrorist content.

"The Commission's preliminary findings show that Facebook,

Instagram and TikTok may have put in place burdensome procedures

and tools for researchers to request access to public data", the

EU executive said.

Meta currently has mechanisms that impose several

unnecessary steps and additional demands on users and use

"deceptive interface designs", it said.

"Such practices can be confusing and dissuading. Meta's

mechanisms to flag and remove illegal content may therefore be

ineffective," it said.

COMPANIES CAN REMEDY BREACHES, RISK LARGE FINES

The companies now have the possibility of examining the

Commission's findings and taking measures to remedy the

breaches, it said, adding that the preliminary findings do not

prejudge the final outcome of the investigation.

The Meta spokesperson said the company would continue to

negotiate with the Commission.

"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," they said.

A TikTok spokesperson said it was reviewing the findings.

"But requirements to ease data safeguards place the DSA and

GDPR in direct tension," spokesperson said, referring to the

General Data Protection Regulation, the EU's regulation on

information privacy.

"If it is not possible to fully comply with both, we urge

regulators to provide clarity on how these obligations should be

reconciled," the spokesperson added.

If the findings of the Commission are confirmed by relevant

consultations, it may impose a fine on the companies of as much

as 6% of their annual global sales.