LONDON — European Union regulators accused TikTok on Thursday of breaching digital content rules because it's not being transparent enough about ads shown to users of the video sharing app.
TikTok's ad repository isn't up to the standards required by the bloc's Digital Services Act, known as the DSA, the 27-nation EU's executive Commission said in preliminary findings from its investigation.
The Commission said ad databases are vital for researchers to detect scam ads as well as so-called hybrid threat campaigns, coordinated information operations and fake ads, "including in the context of elections."
The DSA is a wide-ranging rulebook that aims to clean up social media platforms and protect users from risks including election-related disinformation. Platforms have to be transparent about digital ads, including informing users why they're being shown a specific advertisement and who paid for it.
The Commission said TikTok doesn't provide necessary information about the content of ads, the users targeted, and who pays for them. The database doesn't allow for a comprehensive search for ads based on this information, ''thereby limiting the usefulness of the tool,'' it said.
TikTok said it's reviewing the Commission's findings and remains committed to meeting its DSA obligations.
''While we support the goals of the regulation and continue to improve our ad transparency tools, we disagree with some of the Commission's interpretations and note that guidance is being delivered via preliminary findings rather than clear, public guidelines," the company said in a statement.
The ad database's shortcomings prevent a ''full inspection'' of the risks posed by its ad targeting systems, said Henna Virkkunen, the commission's executive vice-president for tech sovereignty, security and democracy.
