Watchdog opens probes into TikTok and LinkedIn
Online-safety regulator Coimisiún na Meán (CnaM) has begun two investigations into the social-media platforms TikTok and LinkedIn.
The probes will assess whether the platforms have contravened articles 16(1), 16(2)(c), and 25 of the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA).
Article 16 concerns the ‘notice and action’ mechanisms that providers are required to have in place to allow people to report content that they suspect to be illegal.
‘Dark patterns’
The investigations follow a CnaM review that raised concerns about potential ‘dark patterns’, or deceptive designs, of the illegal-content-reporting mechanisms.
The watchdog was concerned that the mechanisms were liable to confuse or deceive people into believing that they were reporting content as illegal content, as opposed to content in violation of the provider’s terms and conditions.
The investigations will look into:
- Whether the illegal-content-reporting mechanisms implemented by TikTok and LinkedIn are easy to access and user-friendly,
- Whether the mechanisms allow people to report suspected child sexual abuse material anonymously, and
- Whether the mechanisms deceive people from reporting content as illegal.
‘Significant changes’ made
If a provider is found in violation of the DSA, CnaM can apply a fine of up to 6% of turnover.
CnaM’s Digital Services Commissioner John Evans said that other providers had made “significant changes” to their reporting mechanisms for illegal content after engagement with it.
He added that the regulator was assessing these changes for their effectiveness.