EU Complains Against Google, Meta, TikTok

Due to their alleged involvement in an increasing number of user-targeted financial frauds, tech giants like Google, Meta, and TikTok are under investigation in Europe.

Based on the complaints submitted to authorities by the European Consumer Organisation (BEUC) and 29 of its members in 27 European countries, the three businesses are accused of failing to proactively remove fraudulent ads from their platforms and alert customers in an appropriate manner, according to Reuters.

Only 27% of the 900 advertising campaigns, together  with 29 member organisations from 27 different countries in which the European Consumer Organisation (BEUC) reported filed legal complaints against Google, Meta, and TikTok for allegedly failing to shield customers from dishonest online financial fraud, the consumer organization reported as breaking EU legislation, were taken down by the platforms. Over 50% of the reports were disregarded or rejected.

The complaints, which were filed under the EUDigital Services Act (DSA) with the European Commission and state regulators, charge the tech companies with allowing fraudulent advertisements to appear on their platforms and failing to take appropriate action even after consumers directly warned them.

The complaints were filed in accordance with the EU’s Digital Services Act, and if the corporations are found to be in violation, regulators may impose severe fines.

This allegation is fundamentally faulty and misrepresents how we combat scams. A Google representative told the media, “We take extensive measures to keep scammers off our platforms, blocking over 99% of policy-violating ads before they are ever seen. 

In a response from Meta, which refers to stopping them, we make investments in cutting-edge AI, tools, and collaborations. Over 159 million fraudulent ads were discovered and eliminated last year, 92% of which were discovered before anyone reported them to us.

Recently, Meta was accused of earning tens of millions of dollars from fraudulent advertisements that target Medicare beneficiaries and older Americans. Meta generated billions from misleading advertisements, commonly known as “high-risk” advertising, according to a Reuters investigation last year. Scams using AI are becoming more common on all platforms, including TikTok and YouTube, which are controlled by Google.

Between December 2025 and March 2026, the consumer coalition conducted a targeted investigation tracking down blatant financial scams, including crypto traps, fake investment schemes, and payday loans, and found major enforcement gaps: out of nearly 900 suspicious advertisements reported as violating EU rules, platforms removed only 27% and entirely rejected or ignored over 52% of consumer fraud alerts.

Under the EU Digital Services Act, Very Large Online Platforms (VLOPs) have specific obligations. They must actively monitor, mitigate, and deploy effective mechanisms to combat harmful or illegal content. Consumer groups are now urging regulators to launch formal investigations. If the European Commission finds these companies in breach of compliance, it can penalize them with severe fines. These fines can reach up to 6% of their global annual turnover.

Also in the big tech responses, the targeted companies are pushing back against the complaints. They cite automated preemptive defense metrics to support their positions.

Google stated that it strictly enforces ad rules. The company successfully blocks over 99% of policy-violating ads before they are ever published.

Meta indicated that it took down over 159 million scam ads globally over the past year. Of those, 92% were caught using AI before user reports came in.

TikTok emphasized that fraud is an industry-wide threat. The company noted that 97.7% of removed scam content is caught proactively by its internal detection software.

If an individual would like to look deeper into this tech regulation story, let me know if I should look up the specific types of financial scams highlighted in the BEUC report, past DSA penalties issued by the European Commission against tech platforms, or how the Digital Services Act’s enforcement timeline applies to these current complaints.