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EU Presses Apple, Google and Microsoft on Efforts to Combat Financial Scams

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European Union regulators have asked Apple, Google, Microsoft, and Booking.com to detail the steps they are taking to prevent their platforms from being used for financial scams, highlighting growing concern over the rising cost of online fraud.

The inquiry falls under the Digital Services Act (DSA), the EU’s sweeping legislation that requires major tech companies to take stronger action against illegal and harmful online content.

“Today, we sent requests for information, under the DSA, to Apple, Booking.com, Google and Microsoft on how they identify and manage risks related to financial scams,” EU tech chief Henna Virkkunen wrote on X.

Virkkunen warned that online fraud has become easier than ever to launch, frequently leading to significant financial losses for consumers. She noted that scams such as fake hotel listings, fraudulent banking apps, and deepfake videos of public figures promoting false investments cost Europeans more than €4 billion ($4.7 billion) each year.

Authorities worldwide have also raised alarms that AI tools could make scams like phishing and fake investment schemes more convincing and harder to detect.

The EU’s probe underscores its heightened scrutiny of Big Tech’s responsibilities in protecting users against financial crime.

Meta expands Llama AI access to U.S. allies in Europe and Asia

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Meta Platforms said Tuesday it will make its Llama artificial intelligence system available to U.S. allies including France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and South Korea, as well as to NATO and European Union institutions. The announcement follows U.S. approval for federal agencies to use Llama earlier this week.

Llama, a large language model capable of processing text, video, images, and audio, will now be deployed more broadly as part of Washington’s effort to strengthen digital cooperation with democratic allies.

Meta said it will work with partners such as Microsoft, Amazon Web Services, Oracle, and Palantir to deliver Llama-based solutions abroad. The company emphasized that its models are released largely free for developers, a strategy CEO Mark Zuckerberg argues will drive innovation, reduce reliance on rivals, and keep engagement strong across Meta’s platforms.

The U.S. General Services Administration confirmed Monday that Llama would be added to its list of approved AI tools for federal use, meeting security and legal standards. By extending access to allies, Meta and Washington aim to align AI infrastructure across friendly nations at a time of intensifying global competition in artificial intelligence.

Meta and TikTok Win EU Court Challenge on Tech Fees, Regulators Must Recalculate

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Meta Platforms and TikTok secured a legal victory on Wednesday against the European Commission over the way EU regulators calculated supervisory fees under the Digital Services Act (DSA). The General Court in Luxembourg ruled that the methodology used to determine the fees was flawed and must be reworked.

Both companies had challenged the 0.05% levy on annual worldwide net income, arguing the system unfairly imposed disproportionate costs. The fee is intended to fund the EU’s monitoring of large platforms’ compliance with the DSA, which requires them to better police harmful and illegal online content.

Court Ruling

The judges said the fee calculation method should have been set under a delegated act, rather than through implementing decisions, giving regulators 12 months to fix the legal framework. Importantly, the court said fees already paid for 2023 will not be reimbursed.

Reactions

  • The European Commission said the ruling requires only a “formal correction” and that it will adopt a delegated act to formalize the methodology.

  • TikTok welcomed the decision, pledging to monitor the new process.

  • Meta emphasized that the current system unfairly burdens profitable companies while large loss-making platforms avoid payment, despite imposing heavy regulatory costs.

Wider Context

The DSA, which came into effect in November 2022, gives the EU sweeping oversight powers and allows fines of up to 6% of global turnover for non-compliance. Other major platforms subject to supervisory fees include Amazon, Apple, Google, Microsoft, Booking.com, X (formerly Twitter), Snapchat, and Pinterest.

The cases were filed under references T-55/24 (Meta Platforms Ireland v Commission) and T-58/24 (TikTok Technology v Commission).