EU opens formal Snapchat probe
EU regulators launched a formal investigation into Snapchat under the Digital Services Act, alleging weak age verification and poor protections for minors including exposure to grooming and illegal goods. The move follows a wider EU audit that found little progress on online child safety, signaling tougher enforcement for mobile apps handling user content and location data. (apnews.com, biometricupdate.com)
The European Commission opened formal Digital Services Act proceedings against Snapchat on March 26, 2026. The inquiry will examine five specific areas: age-assurance mechanisms, default account settings for minors, tools for reporting illegal content, dissemination of information about prohibited or age‑restricted products, and risks of grooming or recruitment of minors. (theverge.com ) The Commission said the probe is being carried out jointly with the Dutch Digital Services Coordinator and is based on analysis of Snapchat’s last three years of risk‑assessment reports plus an information request sent on October 10, 2025. (engadget.com ) If the Commission concludes Snapchat breached the DSA, penalties can include fines determined by gravity and duration that may reach up to 6% of a provider’s global annual turnover. Investors reacted immediately: Snap shares closed at $4.01 on March 26, 2026, a decline of roughly 10.7% from the prior close. (fool.com ) Brussels’ move follows a November 2025 GPEN privacy sweep summarized by France’s CNIL that involved 27 data‑protection authorities and described little progress on online safety measures for minors. (biometricupdate.com ) The Commission noted Snapchat has roughly 97 million monthly active users in the EU and Snapchat said it has “fully cooperated” with the investigation, reiterating that user safety is a company priority. (france24.com ) (apnews.com )
