The EU accused Meta and TikTok on Friday of breaking the bloc’s digital content rules, putting the companies at risk of hefty fines.The European Union has a bolstered legal armoury that demands Big Tech prevent the spread of illegal content and ensure digital markets are open to competition.On Friday the European Commission said Meta’s Facebook and Instagram platforms and TikTok breached the Digital Services Act (DSA), the EU’s content moderation law attacked by US President Donald Trump’s administration.It is the first time the commission has accused Meta of breaching the DSA, which the US giant rejected.Although the announcement includes TikTok, owned by China’s ByteDance, it risks angering Trump, who has threatened to impose fresh tariffs on countries with regulations that seek to “harm” American technology.Despite his threats, the EU has said it will enforce its rules.Brussels said in its preliminary view that Meta and TikTok were failing to grant researchers “adequate access to public data”.EU regulators insist the rules are not just about transparency but ensuring researchers are able to carry out essential work, such as understanding how much children are exposed to dangerous content on popular platforms.TikTok insisted it was “committed to transparency”.”We are reviewing the European Commission’s findings, but requirements to ease data safeguards place the DSA and GDPR in direct tension,” a TikTok spokesperson said, referring to the bloc’s landmark data protection rules.”If it is not possible to fully comply with both, we urge regulators to provide clarity on how these obligations should be reconciled,” the spokesperson said.- Risk of fines -The EU also said Meta’s platforms Facebook and Instagram were not providing user-friendly mechanisms to flag illegal content, and not providing effective systems for their users to challenge content-moderation decisions.Regulators accused Facebook and Instagram of suspected deceptive practices — known as “dark patterns” when it comes to the “Notice and Action” mechanisms.”Such practices can be confusing and dissuading,” the commission said.The DSA stipulates that platforms must explain content-moderation decisions, which Facebook and Instagram have been failing to do, the EU said.Meta said: “We disagree with any suggestion that we have breached the DSA” and continued its talks with the EU.”In the European Union, we have introduced changes to our content reporting options, appeals process, and data access tools since the DSA came into force and are confident that these solutions match what is required under the law,” it said in a statement.- ‘Protecting free speech’ -Meta and TikTok will now be able to access the EU’s files and offer commitments that address Brussels’ concerns.If Brussels is not satisfied with the giants’ proposals, it can impose fines on the companies per breach per platform.EU digital spokesman Thomas Regnier pushed back on Friday against accusations, especially from the United States, that the DSA is a tool of censorship.”When accused of censorship, we prove that the DSA is doing the opposite. It is protecting free speech, allowing citizens in the EU to fight back against unilateral content moderation decisions taken by Big Tech,” he said.Both Meta and TikTok are under investigation in several EU probes, including one looking into concerns they are not doing enough to combat the addictive nature of their platforms for children.

Japan’s conservative new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi vowed Friday to bring US ties to “new heights” with President Donald Trump, while taking a swipe at China and vowing a stricter stance on immigration in her first policy speech.Japan’s first woman premier, who so far is enjoying high poll ratings, also told a rowdy parliament that two percent of gross domestic product will be spent on defence this fiscal year, hitting the government’s target two years early.The comments came three days before Trump, who wants Tokyo and other allies to boost their military spending, is due to visit Japan on his way to crunch talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping in South Korea.Takaichi, whose idol is Margaret Thatcher, said she would build “a relationship of trust” during Trump’s visit, “elevating the Japan-US relationship to new heights”.Known before her appointment as a China hawk, Takaichi also said that the military activities of China, North Korea and Russia “have become a grave concern”.”The free, open and stable international order we have grown accustomed to is being profoundly shaken by historic shifts in the balance of power and intensifying geopolitical competition,” she said.China’s foreign ministry reacted by hitting out at Japan increasing its defence budget and relaxing restrictions on arms exports.”These moves inevitably raise serious doubts among (Japan’s) Asian neighbours and the international community about whether Japan is truly committed to an exclusively defensive posture and the path of peaceful development,” said spokesman Guo Jiakun.- Flatlining economy -But Takaichi also has a host of other complex issues to tackle in the coming months, including a flatlining economy and a declining population.On Friday she said the country needed foreign workers to address labour shortages, but alluded to growing anxiety over foreigners in Japan, a country with historically low levels of immigration.”Some illegal activities and breaches of rules by certain foreigners have created situations where members of the public feel uneasy and perceive unfairness,” Takaichi said.”While we draw a clear line from xenophobia, the government will respond resolutely to such acts,” she added, saying they will enforce compliance with existing rules and examine sensitive issues such as land acquisition.The populist Sanseito party, which calls immigration a “silent invasion”, has been making gains in recent elections.Takaichi has also appointed Kimi Onoda as minister — as well as other areas — for a “society of well-ordered and harmonious coexistence with foreign nationals”. The job existed before but without a minister in charge. The appointment has led to widespread false information online that Onoda was named minister for “mass deportations”. – Rising inflation -Ahead of her parliament address, Takaichi had promised to ease pressure on households, saying the cost-of-living squeeze was a priority and telling her cabinet to draw up measures to address it.However, there was little further detail Friday on the promised economic package.Takaichi’s predecessor Shigeru Ishiba survived barely a year in office, with voters hammering the ruling party in elections partly because of rising prices.Official data Friday showed inflation accelerated last month, with consumer prices jumping 2.9 percent in September compared with 2.7 percent in August. Takaichi has long advocated for more government spending and easing monetary policy to spur growth, and her appointment has boosted stocks to record highs.Since taking office, however, she has said monetary policy decisions would be left to the Bank of Japan (BoJ).The BoJ has been “normalising” its super-easy monetary policy and inflation has long been above its target, making further interest rate hikes more likely.But the BoJ is “concerned about the impact of US tariffs on the Japanese economy and the potential for negative spillovers to corporate profits and wage growth,” said Abhijit Surya at Capital Economics.