The European Commission has accused Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, of breaching the Digital Services Act (DSA) by lacking effective mechanisms for users to report illegal content. In a preliminary decision, the EC highlighted the absence of user-friendly ‘Notice and Action’ features for reporting illegal material such as child sexual abuse and terrorist content on both platforms.
The EC also criticized Meta for employing ‘dark patterns,’ deceptive interface designs, in their reporting mechanisms. Furthermore, the commission found that the content moderation appeal processes on Facebook and Instagram were inadequate, lacking user explanations and evidence submission capabilities.
Meta has the opportunity to challenge these findings before facing potential fines of up to 6% of their global annual turnover for non-compliance. However, this move by the EU may face opposition from the Trump administration, known for its stance against European regulations on US tech firms.
Source: Ars Technica