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Culture, media and the new divides
Updated 5h ago
2/5
The European information ecosystem faces increasing pressure from collapsing traditional media business models, algorithmic-driven polarization, and the unchecked rise of AI-generated content, while regulators and courts establish new boundaries for speech and accountability.
Meta and TikTok challenging the DSA levy in court represents a new development in the enforcement landscape, and the EMFA's full application marks a procedural milestone.
State of play
The EU's regulatory enforcement intensifies as the European Commission escalates its formal Digital Services Act investigations into Meta and TikTok. The probes, ongoing since late 2025, focus on alleged breaches around researcher data access, user redress mechanisms, and the design of recommender systems that may fuel addiction and polarization. The Commission has issued preliminary findings that both companies failed to provide adequate data access to vetted researchers and that Meta's interfaces make it difficult for users to flag illegal content, specifically citing "dark patterns" that confuse users.
Digital Services Act Enforcement
Formal proceedings have been launched against Meta to examine potential breaches related to foreign disinformation, deceptive advertising ahead of EU elections, and the handling of coordinated inauthentic behavior. Regulators are also investigating Meta's phase-out of the CrowdTangle monitoring tool, arguing its removal may violate obligations to support election monitoring and researcher access. The Commission has given Meta five days to outline remedial measures. Separately, the Commission delivered a preliminary decision that TikTok's “addictive design” violates the DSA's safety obligations, specifically concerning its reward-based endless-scroll interface and recommendation algorithm's impact on user health. The EU is considering imposing structural changes to TikTok's design and algorithm. A second formal DSA proceeding against TikTok is underway to assess whether the launch of TikTok Lite in France and Spain complied with obligations to conduct and submit a risk assessment before deploying new features that may significantly alter systemic risks. European consumer groups have also filed coordinated complaints against Google, Meta, and TikTok, alleging failures to protect users from online financial scams, testing the intersection of DSA obligations and consumer law. The Commission has also issued preliminary findings that Meta's Facebook and Instagram did not properly identify, assess, and mitigate risks of minors under 13 accessing their services, citing insufficient age-verification and risk-mitigation measures. Meta and TikTok have challenged the DSA supervisory fee levy in court.
Media Freedom and Governance
The European Media Freedom Act has now fully entered into application, creating a common EU framework to safeguard media freedom, pluralism, and editorial independence. Traditional media business models remain under severe strain as AI-generated summaries in search results threaten advertising revenues. Public service media in multiple EU countries continue to face budget cuts and political pressure. The financing of DSA enforcement actions faces complications after an EU court overturned the initial supervisory fee formula, though regulators are recalculating the fee. Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has indicated that the EU will propose a Digital Fairness Act later in 2026 to address “addictive designs” and manipulative tactics on platforms. The music industry has proposed a label for AI-generated content and called for its adoption by streaming platforms. The Commission has also issued a fine against X for deceptive practices and restricted researcher access in December 2025. The European Commission is moving towards a social media ban for children under 13, with a legislative proposal expected after the summer.
Key events
Full chronicle238
This week
- Meta and TikTok initiated legal challenges against the EU's DSA enforcement levy.
- The European Media Freedom Act is now fully in force across the EU.
- A Polish court rejected an arrest warrant for a former justice minister.