IRELAND’S MEDIA REGULATOR has launched two investigations into Meta over concerns about how users interact with its social media platforms, Facebook and Instagram.

Coimisiún na Meán said the probes will examine whether Facebook and Instagram may have breached parts of the EU’s Digital Services Act, specifically rules around user choice and interface design.

The investigations centre on so-called “dark patterns”, which are design features that may steer or pressure users into certain choices online.

In this case, the regulator is concerned that users may not be able to easily switch to a version of their feed that is not based on profiling, meaning content tailored using their behaviour, interests or activity.

Under EU law, platforms must offer a clear and accessible option for users to view content that is not personalised in this way.

The probe will assess whether users can easily choose and change their preferred feed, and whether platform designs may be manipulating users away from non-profiled options.

Coimisiún na Meán said recommender systems (the algorithms that decide what posts, videos or ads people see) can repeatedly push certain types of content, potentially causing harm, particularly for younger users.

Digital Services Commissioner John Evans said platforms must not “prevent people from using their rights under the law, or try to manipulate people away from making empowered choices”.

“Coimisiún na Meán recognises the concerns that many people have about recommender systems, and the potential harm that these algorithms can potentially cause by repeatedly pushing harmful content into the feeds of users, especially children and young people,” Evans said.

“Our message is clear: it is unacceptable for platforms to prevent people from using their rights under the law, or to try to manipulate people away from making empowered choices about whether or not recommender system feeds control what they see online.”

If breaches are found, Meta could face fines of up to 6% of its global turnover.

Coimisiún na Meán has stepped up its enforcement of the Digital Services Act in recent months, having opened several other investigations into major platforms, while also working with the European Commission on wider probes involving companies such as TikTok, X and Shein.