The European Commission announced on Friday that it has accepted TikTok’s commitment to provide advertising records ensuring complete transparency regarding advertisements on its services, in compliance with the Digital Services Act (DSA).
TikTok has submitted binding commitments addressing concerns raised by the EC following an investigation launched in May 2024, which we previously covered on our site.
Key Commitments from TikTok
Under the agreement, the Chinese-owned platform will implement several significant changes to its advertising transparency practices:
Complete Ad Content Disclosure: TikTok will provide the entire content of advertisements as they appear in user feeds, including URLs from links provided within the ads.
Faster Repository Updates: The platform will update its advertising repository more rapidly, ensuring information becomes available within a maximum of 24 hours.
Enhanced Targeting Data: TikTok will supply the targeting criteria selected by advertisers, along with aggregated user data including gender, age group, and the member state where users who were reached are located. This will enable researchers to investigate how advertisements are targeted and delivered.
Improved Search Functionality: The platform will introduce additional search options and filters, allowing users to find advertisements more easily.
Why This Matters
The Digital Services Act requires platforms to maintain an accessible and searchable register of advertisements broadcast within their services. These registers are essential for regulators, researchers, and civil society to detect fraud, advertisements for illegal or age-inappropriate products, false advertising, and coordinated information operations, including in the context of elections.
TikTok must implement these commitments as soon as possible and no later than the deadlines agreed with the Commission, ranging from two months to a maximum of twelve months, depending on the specific commitment.
Background of the Investigation
The European Commission opened an investigation in February of last year to assess whether TikTok violated the Digital Services Act. In May, the EC presented its concerns regarding the lack of an advertising register, which is legally mandated.
Beyond advertising transparency, the investigation also covered negative effects arising from the design of TikTok’s algorithmic systems, age assurance, its obligation to ensure a high level of privacy, safety, and security for minors, and access to data for researchers. TikTok was found to be violating DSA obligations related to these areas.
Broader DSA Enforcement
The timing of this announcement is noteworthy. Also on December 5, platform X, formerly Twitter, was fined 120 million EUR for non-compliance with the Digital Services Act through the “deceptive” design of the blue checkmark and lack of transparency.
This coordinated enforcement action signals the European Commission’s determination to hold major tech platforms accountable under the DSA, marking a significant step in regulating digital services and protecting users across the European Union.
