Ireland’s media watchdog, Coimisiún na Meán, launched investigations into TikTok and LinkedIn this week. The regulator suspects both platforms are breaking the European Union’s Digital Services Act (DSA). The main concern is how these apps allow users to report illegal content.
The regulator believes the current reporting tools effectively trick users. When someone tries to flag a video or post as illegal, the interface design often confuses them. Instead of officially reporting a crime or illegal act, the user might unknowingly flag the post for violating the app’s internal community guidelines. The EU requires a clear, specific distinction between the two, and the regulator claims the current designs might be “deceptive.”
John Evans, the Digital Services Commissioner, emphasized that companies must make these tools simple and honest. He stated that the law guarantees people the right to report illegal material without having to jump through hoops. Platforms cannot design their menus to manipulate users or hide the correct options. If a button looks like one thing but does another, that is a significant problem.
This isn’t just a polite request. Evans noted that his team has already forced other tech giants to overhaul their reporting systems. The threat of punishment is real. If the investigation proves TikTok or LinkedIn violated the DSA, Ireland can fine them up to 6% of their global annual revenue. Given the size of these companies, that amounts to billions of dollars.
This crackdown adds to the pressure building in Dublin against big tech.
A separate Irish agency, the Data Protection Commission, is currently probing X (formerly Twitter). They want to know if X illegally used user posts to train its Grok AI chatbot. That investigation falls under GDPR privacy laws and carries a penalty of up to 4% of global revenue. Between these two cases, Ireland is sending a loud message: make your platforms safe and transparent, or pay up.
