BRUSSELS, May 15 (KUNA) -- The European Commission (EC) announced Thursday it has informed Chinese social media platform TikTok of its preliminary findings showing that the company does not fulfil EU Digital Services Act (DSA) obligations, particularly regarding the creation of a transparent advertisement repository.
In a statement, the Commission explained that the absence of such a repository hinders researchers and civil society from identifying fraudulent advertisements, coordinated disinformation campaigns and fake ads especially in the context of elections.
The investigation revealed that TikTok does not provide adequate information about the content of ads, the targeted audience, or the entities that paid for them. Moreover, the current system does not allow for comprehensive searches within the database, significantly limiting its usefulness, it said.
The Commission confirmed that these findings are based on a thorough investigation, which included reviewing internal company documents, testing TikTokآ’s tools, and interviewing industry experts.
According to the statement, TikTok now has the right to respond in writing and defend its position. If the breach is confirmed, the Commission may issue a non-compliance decision that could result in a fine of up to 6 percent of the companyآ’s global annual revenue, in addition to placing TikTok under enhanced temporary supervision to ensure corrective measures are taken. The Commission may also impose daily fines to enforce compliance.
The Commission had opened formal proceedings against TikTok in February 2024, covering not only advertising transparency but also concerns related to the design of its algorithmic systems, potential harm to minors, and data access for researchers.
A separate investigation was also launched in December 2024 regarding risks linked to elections and civic discourse on the platform. (end) arn.mt