Meta found in breach of EU law over ‘ineffective’ complaints system for flagging illegal content
Instagram and Facebook have breached EU law by failing to provide users with simple ways to complain or flag illegal content, including child sexual abuse material and terrorist content, the European Commission has said,In a preliminary finding on Friday, the EU’s executive body said Meta, the $1,8tn (£1,4tn) California company that runs Instagram and Facebook, had introduced unnecessary steps in processes for users to submit reports,It said both platforms appeared to use deceptive design – known as “dark patterns” – in the reporting mechanism in a way that could be “confusing and dissuading” to users.
The commission found this amounted to a breach of the company’s obligations under the EU-wide Digital Services Act (DSA), and meant that “Meta’s mechanisms to flag and remove illegal content may be ineffective”,Meta denies it has breached the act,“When it comes to Meta, neither Facebook nor Instagram appear to provide a user-friendly and easily accessible ‘notice and action’ mechanism for users to flag illegal content such as child sexual abuse material and terrorist content,” the commission said,A senior EU official said the case was not only about illegal content, but also about freedom of speech and “moderation that has gone too far”,In the past, Facebook has been accused of “shadow banning” users on issues such as Palestine, meaning their content is demoted by the algorithm.
The current mechanisms for complaints were “too difficult for users to go through to the end”, resulting not just in ineffectiveness but a disincentive for users to get in touch, the official said,Campaigners have continued to allege safety shortcomings in some of Meta’s products,Last month, a Meta whistleblower, Arturo Béjar, published research he said showed that the majority of new safety tools rolled out on Instagram were ineffective, leaving children under 13 not safe on the platform,Meta rejected the report’s findings and said parents had robust tools at their fingertips,The company introduced mandatory teen accounts on Instagram in September 2024, and it said this month it would adopt a version of the PG-13 cinema rating system to give parents stronger controls over their teenagers’s use of the social media platform.
The commission also said Meta made things difficult for users whose content had been blocked or their accounts suspended.It found the decision appeal mechanism did not appear to allow users to provide explanations or evidence to substantiate their appeals, limiting its effectiveness.The commission said simplification of the feedback system would also help the platforms eliminate fake news such as the deepfake video in Ireland claiming the leading presidential election candidate, Catherine Connolly, was pulling out of Friday’s election.The investigation, which is ongoing, was carried out in cooperation with Coimisiún na Meán, the Irish digital services coordinator responsible for regulating the platforms, whose EU headquarters are in Dublin.The commission also made a preliminary finding that TikTok and Meta were in breach of their obligation to grant researchers adequate access to public data that could be used to check on how far minors are exposed to illegal or harmful content.
It said researchers were often left with partial or unreliable data.“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.The preliminary findings allow the platforms time to comply with the commission’s demands.If they do not, they face a fine of up to 6% of total worldwide annual turnover, with periodic penalty payments to compel compliance.Sign up to Business TodayGet set for the working day – we'll point you to all the business news and analysis you need every morningafter newsletter promotionHenna Virkkunen, the commission’s executive vice-president for tech sovereignty, security and democracy, said: “Our democracies depend on trust.
That means platforms must empower users, respect their rights and open their systems to scrutiny.“The DSA makes this a duty, not a choice.With today’s actions, we have now issued preliminary findings on researchers’ access to data to four platforms.We are making sure platforms are accountable for their services, as ensured by EU law, towards users and society.”A Meta spokesperson said: “We disagree with any suggestion that we have breached the DSA, and we continue to negotiate with the European Commission on these matters.
In the European Union, 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.”TikTok said it was not possible to fully share data about its platform with researchers without breaking separate GDPR data protection rules.“TikTok is committed to transparency and values the contribution of researchers to our platform and the wider industry,” a spokesperson said.“We have made substantial investments in data sharing and almost 1,000 research teams have been given access to data through our research tools to date.“We are reviewing the European Commission’s findings, but requirements to ease data safeguards place the DSA and GDPR in direct tension.
”The company urged regulators to “provide clarity on how these obligations should be reconciled”.
Parker and Wardley ready for ‘all or nothing’ rumble with shot at Usyk on the line
Boxing is in a real slump this year, with few major fights and far less compelling bouts than usual, and so the prospect of a serious and intriguing heavyweight contest between Joseph Parker and Fabio Wardley at the O2 Arena brings a measure of relief to the beleaguered business. The winner will almost certainly face Oleksandr Usyk, the world champion, next year. In contrast, the loser is likely to lament the inevitable erosion of the hard-won plaudits he had gained.Danger and risk surround this clash. Parker is on a hot streak since his last defeat, to Joe Joyce, three years ago
Hamilton issues warning to McLaren as Verstappen roars into F1 title fight
Cut-throat Red Bull driver will relish McLaren duo chase in Mexico City where he has won five of the last seven racesEnjoying a late surge out of the final bend, Max Verstappen is looming large in the mirrors of his championship rivals. The Dutchman is a threat beyond his formidable pace. An ominous, unsettling presence whose singular determination carries a weight of its own and at this weekend’s Mexican Grand Prix he will be hoping to put the hammer down once more.Having all but written off his chances by mid-season, Verstappen and Red Bull have orchestrated a striking comeback. In closing down a 104-point gap to the championship leader, Oscar Piastri, to just 40 in the space of four races, the defending champion has left Piastri and his McLaren teammate, Lando Norris, as prey in his paws
Welsh rugby to lose one of its four regions in the next three years
The number of professional men’s rugby teams in Wales is to be cut from four to three within the next three years. The Welsh Rugby Union had been pushing for a two-team solution but, after a period of consultation, has now announced there will be funding for only three pro sides in the future.The four existing regions – Cardiff, Scarlets, Ospreys and Dragons – will remain for the moment but are to be reduced to three by 2028, with teams based in the capital city, east Wales and west Wales. It means there will be insufficient room for both the Scarlets – formerly Llanelli – and the Swansea-based Ospreys who could now come under pressure to merge. If a merger proves impossible – highly likely with so much history and rivalry involved – a “fair and transparent” tender process would decide the outcome
Dan Skelton out of traps fast in trainers’ title battle with Cheltenham double
The feature race had a finish worthy of the festival itself here on Friday, as Harry Skelton summoned a final lunge for the line from Fortune De Mer in the Grade Two novice hurdle and edged out Doctor Blue by a short-head. “He’s a quirky sort,” Dan Skelton, the winner’s trainer, said afterwards, “but he’s got plenty of ability, and that’s an 80 grand race, so we won’t worry about the next one too quickly.”Skelton already has the County Hurdle at the festival meeting here in March as a long-term target for Friday’s winner – “it would really suit him, lots of runners and smuggling him around in a race like that” – while the £48k first prize was supplemented by a further £52k for his prize money total when Calico took the feature handicap chase later on the card.That was more than enough to extend Skelton’s lead at the top of the trainers’ table after Olly Murphy, currently his closest rival, had taken the novice chase with Alnilam earlier on the card, and he is currently odds-on to win the championship for the first time when the season concludes in April.Having seen the prize snatched away by Willie Mullins’s familiar springtime surge in each of the past two campaigns, however, he will take nothing for granted until the final penny has been counted
Your Guardian sport weekend: rugby league Ashes, Lionesses v Brazil and F1’s title tussle
Dominic Booth helms our essential gateway to the day’s football action. He will be looking forward to Saturday’s four Premier League fixtures – Chelsea v Sunderland, Newcastle v Fulham, Manchester United v Brighton and Brentford v Liverpool. There’s also the prospect of the Lionesses hosting Brazil at Manchester City’s Etihad Stadium as well as Wales Women facing Australia in Cardiff. There’ll be team news and breaking stories as well as any wash-up from Friday night’s Leeds v West Ham match.England’s head coach, Shaun Wane, has been waiting five years for a “smash-up” with Australia and is relishing the role of underdogs in the first of three long-awaited Tests
England in Women’s World Cup semi-finals but questions remain for Charlotte Edwards
It’s official: Sunday’s World Cup match between England and New Zealand will be Sophie Devine’s last one-day international. After their loss against India on Thursday, New Zealand can no longer qualify for the semi-finals: the 36-year-old Devine, who made her international debut in 2006 and has represented her country for more than half her life, will not be signing off with another world title.She still has the chance to finish with a win, though. The New Zealand captain has already scored 266 runs in the tournament, including a century against Australia, so it could be a fierce tussle against England’s attack – and an emotional one. Expect to see tears come the anthems, as well as blood and sweat in the sweltering humidity of Visakhapatnam
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