Such an advertising repository is critical for researchers and civil society to detect scam advertisements, hybrid threat campaigns, as well as coordinated information operations and fake advertisements, including in the context of elections. 

The Commission has found that TikTok does not provide the necessary information about the content of the advertisements, the users targeted by the ads, and who paid for the advertisements. Moreover, TikTok's advertisement repository does not allow the public to search comprehensively for advertisements on the basis of this information, thereby limiting the usefulness of the tool. 

The Commission's preliminary findings are based on an in-depth investigation that included, among others, the analysis of internal company documents, testing TikTok's tools, and interviews with experts in the field.   By sending preliminary findings, the Commission informs TikTok of its preliminary view that it is in breach of the DSA. This is without prejudice to the outcome of the investigation

Read the full press release.

Find more information about the Digital Services Act (DSA) and the supervision of the designated very large online platforms and search engines under DSA.