The European Union accuses TikTok of violating online advertising regulations.

The European Commission estimated
on May 15 that TikTok did not comply with its **transparency obligations** regarding online advertising, potentially leading to a significant fine if no corrective measures are taken.

The Commission’s evaluation indicated that the social network, owned by the **Chinese group ByteDance**, “does not provide the necessary information concerning the content of the advertisements, the users targeted by them, nor the identity of those who finance advertising campaigns,” according to an official press release.

This situation marks a crucial moment for TikTok under the new **European Union regulations** on digital services (DSA), which aim to safeguard Internet users from harmful content.

The platform’s practices are under scrutiny from authorities in both Europe and the United States for their **impact on children’s mental health**, misuse of user data, and potential influence on public discourse and election outcomes favoring foreign entities.

A Fine up to 6% of Turnover

Following its formal inquiry into online advertising, TikTok now has access to the investigation dossier and may **respond** in writing to the preliminary observations made against it.

If the allegations put forth by the Commission are confirmed, TikTok could face a penalty of up to **6% of its annual global revenue** and may be subjected to **intensified oversight** until corrective measures are instituted.

The formal questioning, revealed on Thursday, comes after an investigation was initiated by the Commission in February 2024.

Apart from advertising transparency, this procedure also examines the negative effects of the platform’s **algorithm**, alongside the verification of users’ ages when accessing specific content. Investigations are ongoing regarding these issues without any formal allegations at this juncture.

The Commission has also initiated another procedure against TikTok in December 2024, suspecting the platform of having failed its obligations and potentially allowed **Russian manipulations** during the presidential elections in Romania. The investigations related to this allegation are also ongoing.