The European Commission announced on Friday that it has preliminarily determined that Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, as well as TikTok, are not meeting transparency obligations by granting researchers sufficient access to public data.

According to the EU executive, this is a critical requirement under the Digital Services Act (DSA), which aims to provide public scrutiny into the potential impact of platforms on physical and mental health.

The DSA mandates large platforms such as social media sites and search engines to implement robust measures to combat the spread of unlawful and harmful content.

In its statement, the Commission highlighted that Meta's Facebook and Instagram do not currently provide an easily accessible mechanism for users to report instances of illicit content, including child sexual abuse material and terrorist content.

The EU executive expressed concerns that the procedures and tools in place for researchers to request access to data may be overly burdensome.

It emphasized the importance of effective 'Notice and Action' mechanisms that allow EU users to inform platforms about non-compliant content.

Furthermore, the Commission criticized Meta's current reporting mechanism for being confusing and dissuasive due to unnecessary steps and additional demands imposed on users.

These issues are compounded by what it describes as 'deceptive interface designs.' The Commission has given these companies an opportunity to review its findings and take corrective action.

However, if its preliminary conclusions are confirmed through further consultations, the EU may fine them up to 6 percent of their global annual sales.

The enforcement actions reflect the EU's ongoing efforts to regulate Big Tech more stringently, particularly in areas related to content regulation, privacy, and transparency.