The investigation will determine whether or not Meta has breached regulations set out in the EU Digital Services Act.
Ireland’s independent regulator for broadcast and online media, Coimisiún na Meán, has opened dual investigations into Meta to assess issues related to how its recommender systems promote content on Facebook and Instagram and whether it is in breach of the EU Digital Services Act (DSA).
The watchdog is investigating concerns that Meta is preventing users from actively selecting the content that appears in their Instagram and Facebook feeds.
In a statement released by Coimisiún na Meán, the regulatory body said, “Following reviews by An Coimisiún’s platform supervision team and an assessment of complaints, concerns arose in relation to potential ‘dark patterns’, or manipulative and deceptive interface designs, which may prevent people from exercising their right to choose a recommender system feed which is not based on profiling.”
The watchdog’s investigations will determine if users can in fact select and modify their chosen recommendation settings, as well as if this process is direct and accessible, as laid out in the criteria of the DSA. It will also take note of the online interface process for Facebook and Meta and whether it manipulates users away from selecting a recommender system feed that is not based on profiling of their personal data.
