Meta found in breach of EU law over ‘ineffective’ complaints system for flagging illegal content

Meta rejected the report’s findings and said parents had robust tools at their fingertips. Photograph: Kirill Kudryavtsev/AFP/Getty Images

Instagram and Facebook have breached EU law by failing to provide users with simple ways to complain or flag illegal content, including child sexual abuse material and terrorist content, the European Commission has said.

In a preliminary finding on Friday, the EU’s executive body said Meta, the $1.8tn (£1.4tn) California company that runs Instagram and Facebook, had introduced unnecessary steps in processes for users to submit reports.