DIGITAL SERVICE ACT: EU orders YouTube, Snapchat, TikTok to provide details on algorithms

The European Union (EU) has ordered three social media platforms including YouTube, Snapchat, and TikTok to provide information on the layout and functionality of their recommender algorithms in line with its Digital Services Act.

The Commission announced on Wednesday that the inquiry centers on the methods that different online platforms employ to recommend information to users, with a special focus on possible systemic issues on the protection of minors, mental health, and election integrity.

In a statement, the EU outlined how the DSA framework requires social media companies to “assess and adequately mitigate risks stemming from their recommender systems,” citing user mental health and the dissemination of dangerous information as two such hazards.

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YouTube and Snap have been requested to share information on the criteria that drive their algorithms and how they increase the hazards related to social media addiction, civic engagement, political elections, and minor protection.

In the meanwhile, TikTok will have to report to the European Commission (EC) the steps it takes to prevent “malicious actors” from manipulating the app and to reduce the same systemic risks, which the regulator claimed might be exacerbated by “certain recommender systems.”

This action follows the EU’s request that the major tech firms—including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, AliExpress, and Meta—take greater steps to safeguard their platforms from illicit and dangerous information and activity.

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