EU tells Instagram, Facebook to change addictive features or risk fines
The Commission said Instagram and Facebook features can drive compulsive use and that Meta may face a fine capped at 6% of global annual turnover.
- On Friday, the European Commission preliminarily found Meta in breach of the Digital Services Act, citing Facebook and Instagram features that regulators say shift users into "autopilot mode" and fuel compulsive use.
- Investigators launched the probe in May 2024, finding that Meta disregarded data on nighttime teenage usage and failed to adequately assess risks posed by infinite scroll, autoplay, and recommendation algorithms.
- The Commission determined that existing time management tools are easily ignored, while parental controls require significant technical expertise to be effective. It demands Meta disable autoplay and infinite scroll by default.
- If confirmed, Meta faces a fine capped at 6% of its total worldwide annual turnover, potentially exceeding $12 billion based on 2025 revenue; the company can examine investigation files and respond before a final decision.
- Henna Virkkunen, the Commission's Executive Vice-President for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy, stated the Digital Services Act provides a clear framework to hold platforms accountable, following fines against Elon Musk's X and Chinese e-commerce giant Temu.
148 Articles
148 Articles
EU threatens Meta with fines over addictive features on Facebook and Instagram
The tech giant is in breach of the Digital Services Act by focusing on features like infinite scroll, autoplay, push notifications, and the highly personalized recommendation algorithms, the European Commission said.
How dangerous is Instagram and Facebook for children and young people? The EU Commission is concerned. The parent company Meta is threatened with far-reaching consequences.
The European Commission also asks Meta to correct the design of Facebook and Instagram, in order to avoid creating dependence especially in children. Brussels has blackened its demand for the giant of Marck Zuckerberg, at the end of the preliminary investigations on the possible violation of the Digital service act. The US technology giant risks [...] The article EU Commission:
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