Overview
- BEUC and 29 member consumer groups filed formal complaints with the European Commission and national regulators on May 21, 2026 under the Digital Services Act, asking for investigations into platform compliance.
- The groups say they reported nearly 900 ads suspected of breaching EU law between December 2025 and March 2026 and that platforms removed only about 27% of those ads while roughly 52% of reports were rejected or ignored.
- BEUC Director General Agustín Reyna accused Google, Meta and TikTok of not proactively removing fraudulent ads or adequately acting on notifications from consumer groups.
- Under the DSA regulators can impose fines up to 6% of a company’s global annual turnover, and the complaints request that this enforcement power be used if breaches are found.
- BEUC warns the scams still active reach a very large European audience and says regulator action could force platforms to move from voluntary measures to formal oversight, which may change how online ads are policed and how consumers are protected.