Meta faces EU investigation over baby security dangers

By Foo Yun Chee

BRUSSELS -Meta Platforms’ social media websites Fb and Instagram can be investigated for potential breaches of EU on-line content material guidelines referring to baby security, EU regulators mentioned on Thursday, a transfer that would result in hefty fines.

Tech corporations are required to do extra to deal with unlawful and dangerous content material on their platforms underneath the European Union’s landmark Digital Companies Act , which kicked in final yr.

The European Fee mentioned it had determined to open an in-depth investigation into Fb and Instagram resulting from issues that they had not adequately addressed dangers to kids. Meta submitted a threat evaluation report in September.

“The Fee is anxious that the methods of each Fb and Instagram, together with their algorithms, might stimulate behavioural addictions in kids, in addition to create so-called ‘rabbit-hole results’,” the EU government mentioned in an announcement.

“As well as, the Fee can be involved about age-assurance and verification strategies put in place by Meta.” The regulator’s issues relate to kids accessing inappropriate content material.

Meta mentioned it already has a variety of on-line instruments to guard kids.

“We wish younger folks to have protected, age-appropriate experiences on-line and have spent a decade growing greater than 50 instruments and insurance policies designed to guard them,” a Meta spokesperson mentioned.

“It is a problem the entire business is going through, and we sit up for sharing particulars of our work with the European Fee.”

Meta is already within the EU’s crosshairs over election disinformation, a key concern forward of essential European Parliament elections subsequent month. DSA violations can result in fines of as a lot as 6% of an organization’s annual world turnover.

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