Ireland’s Coimisiún na Meán opened a Digital Services Act (DSA) investigation into TikTok and LinkedIn over suspected violations related to illegal content reporting tools, per Euractiv.

The probe examines whether the platforms’ reporting mechanisms comply with EU requirements for allowing users to flag illegal content, the Irish regulator announced.

Dark Patterns Under Scrutiny

The investigation focuses on concerns that both platforms use “deceptive interface designs” that could create problems with content reports, according to Coimisiún na Meán.

The regulator suspects the reporting mechanisms could confuse users into thinking they’re reporting illegal content when they’re instead flagging material that violates platform terms and conditions.

“In the case of these platforms, there is reason to suspect that their illegal content reporting mechanisms are not easy to access or user-friendly, do not allow people to report child sexual abuse material anonymously, as required by the DSA, and that the design of their interfaces may deter people from reporting content as illegal,” John Evans, Ireland’s Digital Services Commissioner, said in a statement.

Anonymous CSAM Reporting at Issue

The investigation will examine whether TikTok and LinkedIn allow users to report child sexual abuse material anonymously, as the DSA requires. The probe will also assess whether the reporting mechanisms are accessible and user-friendly.

Coimisiún na Meán can impose administrative penalties of up to 6% of each company’s annual turnover if violations are found.

Regulatory Context

ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company, and Microsoft, LinkedIn’s owner, maintain their main EU establishments in Ireland. This gives Coimisiún na Meán authority to oversee DSA compliance issues not already under European Commission investigation.

The European Commission can also enforce the DSA on both platforms. In October, the Commission found that TikTok had preliminarily breached the DSA regarding researchers’ access to public data, although that investigation remains ongoing without any fines issued.

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