Meta and TikTok Win Legal Challenge Against EU Over Tech Fees

 

Meta and TikTok Win Legal Challenge Against EU Over Tech Fees

Tech giants Meta and TikTok have won a major legal victory against the European Union after the EU General Court ruled that the method used to calculate supervisory fees under the Digital Services Act (DSA) was legally flawed.

The court found that the fees — set at 0.05% of global net income and linked to the number of monthly active users — were based on “implementing decisions” rather than a proper delegated act, as required by EU law. As a result, regulators now have 12 months to fix the legal basis for the methodology.

The ruling does not require the EU to refund fees collected in 2023, but it highlights the growing pushback from Big Tech against Europe’s strict digital governance framework.

Other major firms, including Amazon, Apple, Google, Microsoft, Snapchat, Pinterest, and X (formerly Twitter), have also filed or are preparing similar legal challenges.

The European Commission stressed that the judgment is a procedural correction rather than a fundamental defeat, insisting that the principles and amounts of the fees remain valid.

This case underscores the ongoing tension between European regulators and global tech companies as the EU tries to enforce stronger accountability under the DSA.