The European Union on Thursday announced formal probes into Meta, the owner of Facebook, and TikTok, seeking information on the steps they have taken to curb the spread of “illegal content and disinformation” following the Hamas attack on Israel.
The EU confirmed that it had sent official information requests to both companies, marking the first procedure under the EU’s new digital content law.
Last week, the EU launched a similar investigation into X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, owned by billionaire Elon Musk.
According to the commission, the request to Meta specifically concerns the “dissemination and amplification of illegal content and disinformation” related to the Hamas-Israel conflict.
“We suspect that Meta’s moderation is insufficient, that it lacks transparency of advertisements and content moderation procedures,” EU digital chief Margrethe Vestager said in a statement.
“So today, we have opened proceedings against Meta to assess their compliance with the Digital Services Act,” she said.
In a separate statement, the European Commission said it also seeks details on TikTok’s efforts to combat “the spreading of terrorist and violent content and hate speech.”
The EU’s executive arm added that it wants more information from Meta regarding its “mitigation measures to protect the integrity of elections.”
Both Meta and TikTok have until October 25 to respond, with a November 8 deadline for less urgent aspects of the information request.
The EU has strengthened its ability to regulate big tech through the landmark Digital Services Actand its counterpart, the Digital Markets Act, which enforce stricter rules on how internet giants conduct their business.
The commission further said it is requesting details on how TikTok ensures compliance with rules aimed at protecting minors online.
Earlier, X CEO Linda Yaccarino said Thursday that the platform has removed hundreds of Hamas-linked accounts and either removed or labeled tens of thousands of posts since the attack, responding to a letter from Breton.
