The European Commission has determined that Facebook and Instagram's design features violate the Digital Services Act, citing their addictive nature as a breach of EU regulations.
The Commission found that both platforms employ design patterns that encourage excessive user engagement without sufficient user consent or control. The ruling targets specific interface elements and algorithmic features that prioritize engagement metrics over user wellbeing.
Under the Digital Services Act, large online platforms must comply with stricter content moderation and user protection standards. The Commission's decision signals enforcement of these rules against major tech companies.
Meta, Facebook's parent company, now faces potential remediation requirements and could incur significant fines if it fails to modify the platforms' designs. The company has the opportunity to respond to the Commission's findings before final enforcement action is taken.
This marks one of the EU's most direct regulatory challenges to tech giant business models, focusing on how platform design influences user behavior rather than content alone.
Spotify is rolling out Talk to Spotify, a new voice-controlled feature that lets users create playlists and perform other actions hands-free. The beta feature is available to Premium subscribers aged 18+ in the US, Ireland, and Sweden.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has ordered the reopening of international internet access after nearly three months of restrictions, according to state media reports.
Apple filed a high-profile lawsuit against OpenAI in Northern California federal court, accusing former Apple employees of stealing trade secrets to benefit the AI company. The legal action targets OpenAI's hardware initiatives.
The European Commission approved €659 million in state aid for four first-of-a-kind semiconductor facilities in Germany. The investment aims to reduce EU dependence on foreign chip makers.