BRUSSELS: An independent appeals body has criticised digital platforms for insufficient cooperation in resolving European Union user content disputes.
The Dublin-based Appeals Centre Europe specifically highlighted YouTube as the worst offender in failing to engage properly with the dispute settlement process.
This out-of-court body was established under the EU’s landmark Digital Services Act to handle challenges against platform content decisions.
The centre found that platforms including Meta’s Facebook and Instagram as well as TikTok often delayed responses and provided insufficient information.
YouTube strongly disputed the report’s findings because the body had not reviewed all flagged content.
The dispute panel requires platform information about deleted content or suspended accounts to make proper adjudications.
Thomas Hughes, leading the panel, stated they had succeeded in some cases despite platform cooperation issues rather than because of platform support.
The centre received no content information from YouTube for most of the 343 eligible disputes submitted against the platform.
Appeals Centre Europe expressed concern that YouTube’s EU users are being denied meaningful access to out-of-court settlement mechanisms.
A YouTube spokesperson countered that ACE lacked necessary privacy safeguards for sharing user data required to resolve content moderation disputes.
YouTube also highlighted that it maintains its own internal appeals system for content decisions.
This represents the first transparency report since the body’s creation last year covering November 2024 to August 2025.
The panel described dispute-settlement bodies as currently being Europe’s best-kept secret but working to increase awareness.
The centre received nearly 10,000 disputes and issued approximately 1,500 decisions across more than 3,300 cases within its scope.
Other platforms under the centre’s scrutiny include Pinterest and Meta-owned Threads.
The Digital Services Act currently faces significant scrutiny from Washington political circles.
US President Donald Trump’s allies accuse the DSA of functioning as a tool of foreign censorship against American companies.
The European Union firmly rejects these accusations as unfounded.
Multiple EU investigations are currently ongoing under the DSA targeting platforms including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Elon Musk’s X. – AFP
