BRUSSELS (Reuters) -The European Commission said on Friday that U.S. Big Tech giant Meta and Chinese-owned social media app TikTok breach their obligation to grant researchers adequate access to public data under the Digital Services Act (DSA) according to its preliminary findings. In a statement, the Commission also said that Meta's Facebook and Instagram do not appear to provide a user-friendly and easily accessible mechanism for users to flag illegal content, such as child sexual abuse material and terrorist content. The EU has cracked down on Big Tech companies with the Digital Services Act, which requires large platforms such as social media sites and search engines to have robust measures to mitigate the spread of illegal and harmful content. "The Commission's preliminary findings show that Facebook, Instagram and TikTok may have put in place burdensome procedures and tools for researchers to request access to public data", the EU executive said about the transparency issue. "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." On Meta hindering the reporting of illegal content, the Commission said the company currently has mechanisms that impose several unnecessary steps and additional demands on users and use "deceptive interface designs". "Such practices can be confusing and dissuading. Meta's mechanisms to flag and remove illegal content may therefore be ineffective. Under the DSA, 'Notice and Action' mechanisms are key to allowing EU users … to inform online platforms that certain content does not comply with EU or national laws", it said. A Meta spokesperson told Reuters the company disagreed with any suggestion it breached the DSA, and that it would continue to negotiate with the European Commission on this. "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," the spokesperson said. TikTok was not immediately available to respond to a Reuters request for comment. The Commission added the companies now have the possibility to examine its findings and take measures to remedy the breaches, adding that the preliminary findings do not prejudge the outcome of the investigation. But if the findings of the Commission are confirmed by relevant consultations, it may impose a fine on the companies of as much as 6% of their annual global sales. (Reporting by Benoit Van Overstraeten and Supantha Mukherjee ; Editing by Alessandro Parodi)
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