Meta Platforms Inc. is set to face a charge sheet from the European Union for failing to adequately police illegal conten
t, risking fines for violating the bloc’s content moderation rulebook.
The European Com
mission is preparing to issue preliminary findings saying that Meta’s Facebook and Instagram lack an adequate “notice a
nd action mechanism” that would let users flag illegal posts for remov
al, according to two people familiar with the plans, who asked not to be identified because the decision isn’t yet public.
The charge sheet is expected in the coming weeks, they said. The move is an escalation of a probe the EU’s exec
utive branch kicked off in April 2024. If the findings are confirmed, Meta risks a fine of as much as 6% of its annual
global sales. The company will first have a chance to offer remedies or rebut the commission’s allegations.
The commission didn’t immediately respond to requests for com
ment. Meta spokesperson Ben Walters said that the company disagreed “with any suggestion we have breached the DSA” and continued to negotiate with EU officials.
Under the EU’s Digital Services Act, platforms and search engines w
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ith more than 45 million monthly active users in the EU are required to have robust measures to mitigate the spread of
illegal or harmful content. Meta is currently facing two probes
dealing respectively with illegal content and disinformation and the protection of minors. Other large platforms, including Elon Musk’s X, ByteDance’s TikT
ok, e-commerce companies Temu and AliExpress, and multiple pornography websites are also facing DSA proceedings.
While the commission hasn’t issued any DSA fines so far, the EU’s rules governing large tech platforms are a key point of tension in the bloc’s relations with the U
S. President Donald Trump has accused the DSA of unfairly targeting American companies and stifling free speech.
Apple Inc. asked the EU this week to roll back rules to protect digital consumers, known as the Digital Markets Act,
saying they degrade performance and make iPhone users more v
ulnerable to scams and malware. The EU said it has no plans to amend the laws.
Photograph: The Facebook application on a smartphone arran
ged in Hastings-on-Hudson, New York, on Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2023. Photo credit: Tiffany Hagler-Geard/Bloomberg