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TikTok Charged with Breaching EU Content Rules Under Digital Services Act

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TikTok has been formally charged by EU regulators with violating the Digital Services Act (DSA), a sweeping content regulation law aimed at increasing transparency and accountability for major online platforms. The European Commission’s preliminary findings, released Thursday, could expose TikTok’s parent company ByteDance to a fine of up to 6% of global turnover.

Key Allegations:

The European Commission said TikTok has failed to:

  • Publish a comprehensive ad repository, as required by the DSA, which would allow researchers and users to detect scam and manipulative advertisements.

  • Provide clear data on ad content, targeting practices, and disclosure of the entity behind each ad.

  • Ensure full ad transparency, a core DSA obligation to combat disinformation and exploitative practices.

“Transparency in online advertising — who pays and how audiences are targeted — is essential to safeguarding the public interest,” said Henna Virkkunen, EU digital policy chief.

TikTok’s Response:

TikTok said it supports the goals of the DSA and is working to improve its ad transparency tools. However, it disagreed with the Commission’s interpretation and criticized the lack of clear, public guidance:

“Guidance is being delivered via preliminary findings rather than clear, public guidelines,” a spokesperson said. “A level playing field and consistent enforcement are essential.”

What’s Next:

  • TikTok now has the opportunity to review the evidence and submit a written response before the Commission makes a final decision.

  • If found guilty of breaching the DSA, ByteDance could face financial penalties and further scrutiny over how it manages online advertising and content moderation.

  • TikTok is also under a separate EU investigation into its election-related risk management practices.

The case marks a significant escalation in the EU’s efforts to enforce the DSA, which came into effect in 2023 to curb harmful content, improve transparency, and hold tech giants accountable for the societal impact of their platforms.