Meta Platforms, Inc. META CEO Mark Zuckerberg's accusation of censorship has been firmly denied by the European Commission.
What Happened: On Wednesday, the European Commission dismissed claims by Meta that EU data laws censor social media, reported Reuters.
The Commission stated that their regulations only mandate the removal of illegal content. “We absolutely refute any claims of censorship,” said a Commission spokesperson.
Zuckerberg had criticized European laws, stating they hinder innovation by institutionalizing censorship. In response, the Commission said that the Digital Services Act does not compel platforms to remove lawful content but targets harmful material.
Meta has decided to eliminate fact-checkers for its platforms in the U.S., opting for a “community notes” system similar to that used by Elon Musk's X.
The European Commission noted that for such a system to operate in the EU, platforms must conduct risk assessments and submit them to the EU executive.
Subscribe to the Benzinga Tech Trends newsletter to get all the latest tech developments delivered to your inbox.
Why It Matters: The tension between Meta Platforms and the European Union is not new. In November 2024, the European Commission imposed an $841 million fine on Meta for antitrust violations related to Facebook Marketplace.
Later in December, Meta faced another setback when the Irish Data Protection Commission fined the company $264 million over a 2018 data breach.
Price Action: Meta's stock closed Wednesday's trading session down 1.16%, finishing at $610.72. In after-hours trading, the shares dipped an additional 0.34%, according to Benzinga Pro data.
Check out more of Benzinga’s Consumer Tech coverage by following this link.
Photo Courtesy: Flickr.
Read Next:
Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of Benzinga Neuro and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
© 2025 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
Trade confidently with insights and alerts from analyst ratings, free reports and breaking news that affects the stocks you care about.
