Meta — DSA enforcement

Deceptive/political advertising and disinformation, the lack of an effective real-time election-monitoring tool (CrowdTangle deprecation), notice-and-action, and researcher data access. Note: deceptive ads are charged as a systemic risk (Arts. 34/35) — Art. 39 (the Ad Library) is NOT in scope.

• Art. 14(1)
• Art. 16
• Art. 17(1)
• Art. 20
• Art. 24(5)
• Art. 25(1)
• Art. 34
• Art. 35
• Art. 40(12)

1. April 30, 2024Formal proceedings opened

   On Facebook & Instagram: deceptive advertising and political content, the CrowdTangle deprecation ahead of EU elections, notice-and-action and researcher data access. Source ↗

2. October 24, 2025Preliminary findings

   Meta preliminarily in breach of transparency obligations: inadequate researcher data access (Art. 40) and a notice-and-action/appeal mechanism using "dark patterns" (Art. 16). Announced jointly with the TikTok findings. Source ↗

Addictive "rabbit-hole" design exploiting minors, the effectiveness of age assurance, and prevention of under-13 access.

• Art. 28
• Art. 34
• Art. 35

1. May 16, 2024Formal proceedings opened

   Whether Meta assessed and mitigated risks from Facebook & Instagram interface design causing addictive behaviour, and the effectiveness of its age-verification tools. Source ↗

2. April 29, 2026Preliminary findings — under-13s

   Meta preliminarily in breach for failing to prevent under-13s from accessing the services: false birth dates accepted with no effective controls, and an ineffective reporting tool for minors’ accounts. Source ↗

3. July 10, 2026Preliminary finding — addictive design

   Meta preliminarily in breach over the addictive design of Facebook & Instagram (infinite scroll, autoplay, push notifications, engagement-driven recommenders): it did not adequately assess the risks to users’ physical and mental well-being, including minors and vulnerable adults. The Commission wants default changes such as disabling infinite scroll and autoplay. Source ↗