Meta Platforms Inc‘s (NASDAQ:META) regulatory battle with the European Union escalated on multiple fronts in 2025.
The growing friction between Meta and the EU was on full display Friday, with regulators hitting the company with new allegations of violating digital content rules.
On Friday, the European Commission formally accused both Meta and ByteDance’s TikTok of violating the Digital Services Act (DSA).
The Commission issued preliminary findings that the platforms are illegally restricting researchers’ access to public data.
The regulatory body also singled out Meta, alleging that Facebook and Instagram make it too difficult for users to report illegal content and appeal moderation decisions.
In its initial findings, the Commission states that both TikTok and Meta have created cumbersome processes that hinder researchers’ access to public platform data.
The Commission leveled additional charges specifically against Meta. Regulators found that both Facebook and Instagram fail to provide a simple and accessible system for users to report illegal content.
These findings are preliminary, and the Commission has given Meta and TikTok the opportunity to respond and propose remedies. However, if the Commission ultimately confirms these violations, it can impose fines of up to 6% of the companies’ global annual turnover.
A new EU rule set to take effect on Oct. 29 will grant researchers even broader access to platform data.
Apple Inc (NASDAQ:AAPL) and Meta are reportedly in the final stages of negotiations with the European Commission to settle their respective antitrust cases.
The two tech giants are working to amend their business practices to comply with the EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA). This move comes after the EU fined them a combined 700 million euros in April for violating the new law.
In July, Meta banned all political, electoral, and social issue advertising on its platforms, including Facebook and Instagram, within the EU. The company will implement the ban this October.
Meta attributes this decision to the “unworkable requirements” of the EU’s new Transparency and Targeting of Political Advertising (TTPA) regulations. These rules were designed to increase transparency in online advertising following the 2018 Cambridge Analytica scandal.
Meta already faces a 200 million euros fine for data privacy violations, and CEO Mark Zuckerberg has previously criticized the EU’s regulations as a form of “censorship.”
Meta is not the first company to take such a step. Last year, Alphabet Inc‘s (NASDAQ:GOOG) (NASDAQ:GOOGL) Google announced a similar plan to block political advertising in the EU, citing the same regulatory challenges.
META Price Action: Meta Platforms shares were up 0.29% at $736.14 at the time of publication on Friday, according to Benzinga Pro data.
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