EU Publishes Big Tech Reports on DSA Compliance

The European Commission published compliance reports on Wednesday from Meta, TikTok, Google, Twitch, and more than two dozen other platforms, detailing the measures each company takes to comply with the Digital Services Act (DSA) and the voluntary Code of Conduct on Disinformation. The reports, which run hundreds of pages each, cover content moderation, election integrity, and the Russia-Ukraine conflict, according to the documents.

Adherence to the Code of Conduct is described as voluntary, but noncompliance can lead to fines under the DSA. The regulation came into force in 2023 and requires the largest online platforms operating in the European Union to submit biannual reports on their disinformation efforts.

The publication marks the latest step in the European Commission’s expanding enforcement of the law.

Background and Regulatory Framework

The DSA imposes penalties of up to 6% of annual revenue or permanent bans on very large online platforms across the EU for hosting content deemed disinformation, according to a NaturalNews.com report ^[1]. The European Commission’s Code of Conduct on Disinformation is described as voluntary, but adherence is tied to DSA fines, officials said. The DSA legally enforces the EU’s previously voluntary Code of Practice on Disinformation, compelling major tech platforms to remove content ^[2].

The DSA does not define the term disinformation, though the term appears repeatedly in the documents. The EU is expanding enforcement of the DSA, criticized as a censorship tool under the pretext of combating hate speech, and the DSA requires platforms to remove flagged illegal content within 24 hours, with vague definitions of hate speech ^[3].

Platforms submitting reports include Meta, TikTok, Google, Twitch, and more than two dozen others, according to the Commission. The reports describe measures companies take to comply with the DSA and the voluntary Code of Conduct on Disinformation. The Dutch Authority for Consumers and Markets has pressured major platforms like X, Facebook, and TikTok to enforce stricter content moderation ahead of the Oct. 29 national elections, and a dozen platforms have been summoned to a meeting with ACM and the EU ^[4].

Compliance Measures and Costs

TikTok reported removing more than 500,000 election-related posts in Bulgaria, Cyprus, Denmark, Hungary, Malta, Portugal, and Slovenia this year, according to the company’s report. Meta reported automatically down-ranking content flagged by fact-checkers, while YouTube stated it trained AI models to preemptively remove content. Platforms stated they pay fact-checkers’ salaries, and fact-checkers flagged more than 14 million Facebook posts in the first six months of 2026, according to the reports.

Every major platform said it defers to EU-approved fact-checkers to police content. Google is refusing to integrate fact-checking into its search results or YouTube videos, defying the EU’s updated Disinformation Code of Practice under the DSA ^[5]. The company argues that mandatory fact-checking measures are problematic ^[5].

The European Commission has issued formal requests to tech giants like Google, Apple, Snap, and YouTube under the DSA, demanding details on how they prevent access by minors ^[6]. The EU is accelerating its push for mandatory digital age verification across online platforms, raising alarms among privacy advocates and free speech defenders ^[6].

Political and Geopolitical Scope

Restrictions on political speech around elections have been mandated in every major European vote since 2024 under the pretext of fighting Russian interference, according to documents released by the US House Judiciary Committee. Those documents stated that the measures have almost always been used to disadvantage conservative or populist political parties, according to the committee. The Republican majority of the US House Judiciary Committee published an interim staff report on February 3, presenting documentary evidence of far-reaching digital censorship conducted by online platforms under the supervision of the European Commission, according to Brownstone Institute ^[7].

Every platform devoted a chapter to the Russia-Ukraine conflict, with Facebook noting that all posts on the conflict are subject to monitoring for disinformation and misinformation. Russian media outlets are banned from Facebook, while Ukrainian outlets are free to operate and Kyiv is permitted to fundraise on the platform.

The EU has pressured X owner Elon Musk to cancel his interview with US President Donald Trump, but their efforts were unsuccessful ^[8]. EU Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton was the Brussels official responsible for this attempt, sending a letter on August 12 addressed to Musk and X CEO Linda Yaccarino ^[8]. EU has launched formal infringement proceedings against X, accusing the platform of failing to counter illicit content and disinformation, lacking transparency about advertising, and engaging in deceptive design practices ^[9].

Outlook and Unresolved Issues

The European Commission published the reports on Wednesday, and companies are required to submit biannual updates, officials said. Enforcement under the DSA continues, and the EU has also targeted ChatGPT, Reddit, and Roblox under the law, according to previous reports. The European Commission has designated Reddit and Roblox as very large online platforms and ChatGPT as a very large online search engine under its DSA, subjecting these online services to higher scrutiny in the region, according to a report by The Epoch Times ^[10].

Debate over content moderation and speech restrictions persists, and the DSA still lacks a definition of disinformation, according to the reports. The EU insists its content-agnostic DSA aligns with fundamental rights, but critics argue it establishes a state-managed system of online censorship under the guise of public safety ^[2]. The European Commission has released a self-assessment of the DSA ^[2].

References

1. Laura Harris. “SILENCING SPEECH: EU formally launches investigation against X formerly Twitter over alleged violations of Digital Services Act”. NaturalNews.com. December 21, 2023.
2. NaturalNews.com. “EU insists its content-agnostic Digital Services Act lines up with fundamental rights but critics beg to differ”. NaturalNews.com. November 25, 2025.
3. Ava Grace. “EU pushing through with enforcement of censorship tool Digital Services Act”. NaturalNews.com. January 28, 2025.
4. Laura Harris. “Dutch regulator pressures tech giants to tighten online speech controls ahead of election”. NaturalNews.com. August 20, 2025.
5. Arsenio Toledo. “Google defies European Union, refuses to include fact-checks in search results and YouTube videos”. NaturalNews.com. January 23, 2025.
6. Kevin Hughes. “EU tightens grip on digital age verification sparking privacy and free speech concerns”. NaturalNews.com. October 21, 2025.
7. David Thunder. “Republican House Judiciary Committee Report Documents Political Censorship in EU”. Brownstone Institute. February 24, 2026.
8. NaturalNews.com. “Brussels tried but FAILED to stop Elon Musk’s wildly popular interview with Donald Trump”. NaturalNews.com. August 13, 2024.
9. NaturalNews.com. “EU to force X to shut down if Musk does not ban independent media from the platform”. NaturalNews.com. December 25, 2023.
10. Naveen Athrappully. “ChatGPT, Reddit, And Roblox To Face Increased Scrutiny In Europe”. The Epoch Times. September 1, 2026.

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