The Commission found that TikTok did not provide the necessary information about the content of the advertising, the users to whom the advertising was directed, and who paid for the advertising.
The Commission found that TikTok did not provide the necessary information about the content of the advertising, the users to whom the advertising was directed, and who paid for the advertising.
The European Commission's preliminary findings are based on an in-depth investigation , which includes: analysis of TikTok's internal documents, testing of the platform's tools and interviews with experts in the field. The European Commission's preliminary findings found that the Chinese company violated the EU's Digital Services Act.
“Transparency in online advertising — who is the customer, who is the target audience of the ad — is essential to protecting the public interest. Whether we are protecting the integrity of our democratic elections, protecting public health, protecting consumers from fraudulent advertising, citizens have the right to know who is behind the messages they see. In our preliminary opinion, TikTok does not comply with the DSA in key areas of its ad repository, which prevents full verification of the risks posed by its advertising and targeting systems,” said Henna Virkkunen, Executive Vice President of Technology Sovereignty, Security and Democracy.
If the preliminary findings are confirmed, the European Commission could fine TikTok up to 6% of the provider’s global annual turnover and impose an enhanced supervision period on the platform until TikTok corrects the infringement. In addition, the European Commission could impose periodic penalty payments to force the platform to comply.
This is not the first time the Chinese platform has had problems with the European Commission for violating EU rules. Just a week ago, the European Union fined TikTok €530 million for illegally transferring European users' data to China. The total amount of fines for violating GDPR rules is over €890 million since 2021.
In December 2024, the Commission also opened formal proceedings against TikTok related to elections and influence on public discourse. These investigations are being treated by the European Commission as a matter of priority.
