On Wednesday, the European Commission took significant steps to address concerns over the impact of social media algorithms by requesting detailed information from YouTube, Snapchat, and TikTok.
YouTube has 2.49 billion monthly active users. YouTube is the second most-used social media platform in the world. Among these, there are more than 80 million paid subscribers for YouTube’s Premium and Music services.
Snapchat has over 800 million monthly active users (MAU) worldwide, with 432 million daily active users as of the second quarter of 2024.
TikTok has 1.04 billion monthly active users. TikTok is the fifth most popular social media platform, behind Facebook, YouTube, WhatsApp, and Instagram.
This inquiry focuses on the parameters these Internet platforms use to recommend content to users, especially regarding potential systemic risks tied to electoral integrity, mental health, and the protection of minors.
The requests, issued under the Digital Services Act (DSA), seek to clarify the measures Google’s YouTube, Snapchat, and TikTok have in place to mitigate the influence of their recommendation systems on the spread of illegal content, including the promotion of drugs and hate speech.
In a specific request, TikTok has been asked to elaborate on its strategies to prevent bad actors from exploiting the platform and to address risks associated with elections and civic discourse.
YouTube, Snapchat, and TikTok have until November 15 to respond to the EU’s inquiries. Following this deadline, the Commission will assess the responses and may take further action, potentially including financial penalties.
This latest round of inquiries adds to the EU’s efforts to enforce compliance with the DSA, which mandates that major technology firms enhance their efforts to combat illegal and harmful content.
Previous proceedings have been initiated against Meta’s Facebook and Instagram, AliExpress, and TikTok regarding their recommendation systems and compliance with the DSA’s stipulations.
