BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union on Friday said Meta and TitTok had breached their transparency obligations after an investigation that could result in billions of dollars in fines.
The inquiry found both companies had violated the Digital Services Act, the EU’s trailblazing digital rule book that imposes a set of strict requirements designed to keep internet users safe online, including making it easier to report counterfeit or unsafe goods or flag harmful or illegal content like hate speech, as well as a ban on ads targeted at children.
“We are making sure platforms are accountable for their services, as ensured by EU law, towards users and society,” said Henna Virkunnen, the EU’s executive vice president for tech sovereignty, security and democracy in a post on X. ““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.”
The 27-nation bloc launched investigations in 2024 into both Meta and TikTok. They found that the companies did not allow easy access to data for researchers. They also found that Meta's Instagram and Facebook did not make it easy for users to flag illegal content and effectively challenge moderation decisions. “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,” according to a statement by the European Commission, the EU's executive body. The inquiry found both Facebook and Instagram deployed “dark patterns” or deceptive interface designs for its protocol for flagging malicious content like child sex abuse or terrorist content. That led to a kind of obfuscation, with the Commission saying it was “confusing and dissuading” and “may therefore be ineffective.”
Meta spokesperson Ben Walters said the company disagrees with the findings but would continue to negotiate with the EU over compliance. "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,” he said. TikTok said Friday that it would review the findings but said that the transparency obligations of the DSA conflict with the EU's strict privacy rules, the General Data Protection Regulation. "If it is not possible to fully comply with both, we urge regulators to provide clarity on how these obligations should be reconciled,” said Paolo Ganino, a spokesperson for TikTok.
Meta and TikTok can now file a response to the inquiry. Ultimately, the EU could fine the companies up to 6% of their annual profits — which could be in the billions.
FILE - Attendees visit the Meta booth at the Game Developers Conference 2023 in San Francisco on March 22, 2023. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File)
FILE - A view of the TikTok app logo, in Tokyo, Japan, Sept. 28, 2020. (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato, File)
BRISBANE, Australia (AP) — Mitchell Starc has been menacing England with the ball in this Ashes series. Now he's doing damage with the bat, too.
At stumps on Day 3 of the second test, England was teetering on 134-6 in its second innings and still needed to score 43 runs to make Australia bat again.
Starc was voted player of the match for his 10-wicket haul in Australia's thumping eight-wicket win in the series opener at Perth last month.
Now he's in line for another award in the day-night test in Brisbane. After taking six wickets in England's first innings of 334 on Days 1 and 2, Starc scored an innings-high 77 as Australia responded with 511 on Saturday afternoon and then took two wickets in the night session.
England's hopes now rest on skipper Ben Stokes, who will resume Sunday on 4.
The 35-year-old Starc made England's bowlers toil all afternoon in sunny, subtropical conditions at the Gabba as he led Australia to a 177-run first-innings lead.
With the lights on and the pink ball starting to move around on the third night of the match, Starc took the crucial wicket of top-ranked Joe Root (15) to have England reeling at 123-5, still 54 runs in arrears.
He added the wicket of Jamie Smith in his next over as England slipped to 128-6.
Scott Boland and Michael Neser combined to take the first four wickets for Australia after Starc, for the first time in the series, didn't take a wicket in the first over of the innings.
Boland removed Ben Duckett (15) and Harry Brook (15) and Neser took two sharp return catches to dismiss Ollie Pope (26) and Zak Crawley (44).
Neser later credited Starc with being the greatest left-arm bowler of all time.
“He’s a special player," Neser said. "He doesn’t like to admit it, but he is the GOAT — the greatest lefty of all time.
“He does it with the ball, the bat, and to be next to him, witnessing what he does, is just amazing.”
Starc and the bowling attack will be aiming for four quick wickets Sunday to give Australia a 2-0 lead in the five-match series.
For just the third time in almost 150 years of test cricket, all 11 Australian batters reached double figures in a test innings.
Starc's was one of five half-centuries, following opener Jake Weatherald (72), No. 3 Marnus Labuschagne (65), stand-in skipper Steve Smith (61) and wicketkeeper-batter Alex Carey (63).
England had a tricky half-hour to navigate before the end of the middle session with the lights on and the sun going down. But for the first time in the series, Starc didn't take a wicket in the first over of the innings.
England reached the break at 45 without loss, with Crawley on 26 and Duckett on 13, setting a foundation for more attacking batting in the night session.
Australia had injected some conventional test cricket into the series while batting through almost two sessions in natural light in a bid to grind England down, adding 133 runs for the last four wickets after resuming Saturday at 378-6.
Starc went into bat in the fourth over Saturday at the end of a 54-run seventh-wicket partnership between overnight batters Carey and Neser.
Starc batted for more than 2½ hours for his best test score against England, guiding a 75-run partnership with No. 10 Boland, a record for a ninth-wicket stand at the Gabba.
While no Australian batters went on to post centuries, three England bowlers conceded triple figures. Brydon Carse took four wickets for 152 runs in 29 overs. Skipper Stokes returned 3-113 in 24 overs and Gus Atkinson took figures of 1-114 off 28.
Pace spearhead Jofra Archer took 1-87 and Jacks, the only spinner in the match, had 1-34 in 12, taking the last Australian wicket to fall.
“Tough day, yeah, obviously not in a great position,” England assistant coach Marcus Trescothick said. “Obviously it’s been quite challenging watching what’s going on and Australia getting ahead of the game and putting us under pressure.”
He said the England lineup needed to find solutions quickly so “we can come back tomorrow and sort of impact the game.”
AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket
Australia's Mitchell Starc appeals successfully for the wicket of England's Joe Root, left, during the second Ashes cricket test match between Australia and England in Brisbane, Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025.. (AP Photo/Tertius Pickard)
England's captain Ben Stokes celebrates the wicket of Australia's Mitchell Starc during the second Ashes cricket test match between Australia and England in Brisbane, Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025.. (AP Photo/Tertius Pickard)
Australia's Mitchell Starc plays a shot during the second Ashes cricket test match between Australia and England in Brisbane, Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025.. (AP Photo/Tertius Pickard)
Australia's Mitchell Starc keeps away from bouncer a delivery during the second Ashes cricket test match between Australia and England in Brisbane, Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025.. (AP Photo/Tertius Pickard)
England's captain Ben Stokes reacts after bowls a delivery during the second Ashes cricket test match between Australia and England in Brisbane, Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025.. (AP Photo/Tertius Pickard)
Australia's Mitchell Starc plays a shot during the second Ashes cricket test match between Australia and England in Brisbane, Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025.. (AP Photo/Tertius Pickard)
