Meta violated the Digital Services Act (DSA) by failing to give Facebook and Instagram users simple mechanisms to report illegal content, the European Commission said in a preliminary decision announced yesterday. Meta also failed to give users an effective way to challenge content moderation decisions, the EC said.
“When it comes to Meta, neither Facebook nor Instagram appear to provide a user-friendly and easily accessible ‘Notice and Action’ mechanism for users to flag illegal content, such as child sexual abuse material and terrorist content,” the EC press release said. The EC said that Meta mechanisms seem to “impose several unnecessary steps and additional demands on users. In addition, both Facebook and Instagram appear to use so-called ‘dark patterns,’ or deceptive interface designs, when it comes to the ‘Notice and Action’ mechanisms.”
The EC also found that the content moderation appeal mechanisms used by Facebook and Instagram do not “allow users to provide explanations or supporting evidence to substantiate their appeals. This makes it difficult for users in the EU to further explain why they disagree with Meta’s content decision, limiting the effectiveness of the appeals mechanism.”
This is an interesting development regarding Meta and the Digital Services Act. It will be intriguing to see how this situation unfolds and what impact it may have on users and the platform. Keeping an eye on these regulatory changes is important for everyone involved.
to see how Meta responds to these accusations. Given the ongoing debates about content moderation and user rights, their approach could significantly influence future compliance with the DSA. It might also set a precedent for how other tech companies navigate similar regulations.