EU probes Snapchat over child safety, illegal goods sales
Snapchat is in hot water with the European Commission, which just launched an investigation into how the app handles child safety and illegal goods.
The main issue? The European Commission said it suspected Snapchat does not have sufficient safeguards to protect young users and to prevent sales of illegal or age-restricted products.
If Snapchat falls short of the Digital Services Act rules, it could face some pretty hefty fines, up to 6% of global annual sales.
Investigators are looking closely at Snapchat's age checks and privacy
Investigators are looking closely at Snapchat's age checks and privacy settings, saying they are not strong enough to keep children safe by default.
They are also reviewing how easy it is for users to report harmful content or design tricks that might encourage risky behavior.
As the EU technology chief Henna Virkkunen put it, platforms must meet higher safety standards under the Digital Services Act or risk enforcement.