European Commission accuses TikTok and Meta of violating the Digital Services Act

On October 24, 2025, the European Commission released the findings of its investigations into breaches of the Digital Services Act (DSA) by Meta—through Facebook and Instagram—and TikTok. Classified as “very large online platforms,” these three services are subject to strict regulatory requirements.

They are notably required to grant approved researchers access to their internal data “necessary to monitor and assess compliance with the DSA.” The Commission accuses Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok of having implemented “restrictive procedures and tools” preventing researchers from accessing the full range of such information.

The investigation into Meta also found that neither Facebook nor Instagram provides users with a “user-friendly and easily accessible notice and action mechanism” to report illegal content, including material related to child sexual abuse or terrorism. Such a mechanism is mandatory under the DSA.

Finally, Facebook and Instagram are said to violate the DSA provision ensuring that users can easily appeal moderation decisions that concern them. TikTok and Meta now have the opportunity to respond in writing to these accusations and propose corrective measures. If these are deemed unsatisfactory, the two companies could face fines of up to 6% of their global annual revenue.