Lisbon, June 16, 2025 (Lusa) - Meta platforms, namely Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, accounted for around half of the 27 complaints about digital services received by the National Communications Authority (Anacom) in the first quarter, the regulator announced on Monday.
Anacom’s statement says that, of all complaints received between January and March, 30% concerned Facebook, 15% concerned Instagram and 4% concerned WhatsApp.
Microsoft (11%), Google providers (8%) and the Reddit platform (7%) also recorded complaints during this period, although “more residual”.
According to the regulator, the main subject of complaints (67% of the total) concerned provider actions such as the suspension, restriction or removal of accounts or content from service recipients, based on “alleged infringement of the law or their contractual terms and conditions, which the service recipients regarded as inappropriate”.
Reports of illegal content accounted for 19% of complaints forwarded to the competent authorities, followed by complaints about customer service and the point of contact for intermediary service providers (11%).
We forwarded two complaints to Digital Services Coordinators in other Member States. Ireland and the Netherlands, which contained evidence that platforms established in those countries had infringed the Digital Services Regulation.
Concerning the suspension, restriction or removal of accounts or content of service recipients by providers, Anacom stresses that virtual hosting intermediary service providers (which include online platforms) “must provide a clear and specific statement of reasons to all recipients of the affected services regarding any restriction decision they impose”.
This statement must contain, at a minimum, information on whether the decision entails the removal, disabling of access to the information, the demotion/restriction of the visibility of the information, or the suspension or termination of monetary payments related to that information. It must also indicate whether the decision imposes other measures and, where relevant, the territorial scope of the decision and its duration.
In addition, the decision must indicate the facts and circumstances on which it is based, as well as whether automated means supported the decision-making process.
Where the decision concerns allegedly illegal content, the regulator stated that it was necessary to refer to the legal basis and explain why the information is considered illegal.
If the decision relies on the alleged incompatibility of the information with the terms and conditions of the hosting service provider, the invoked contractual clause must receive explicit reference, and the explanation must state why the information differs from that clause.
Service providers must also deliver “clear and easily understandable information” on the possibilities of redress available to the recipient of the service concerning the decision, “in particular, where applicable, through internal complaint management mechanisms, out-of-court dispute resolution and judicial redress”.
Anacom also pointed out that online platforms must provide an internal complaint management system that ensures “the timely, fair, diligent and reasoned handling of complaints against the decisions they adopt”.
If users wish to report any rules that do not comply with these standards, they may complain with Anacom, which is the Digital Services Coordinator (DSC) in Portugal. Anadom will assess the complaint and, where appropriate, forward it to the DSC where the online platform is established. For example, in the case of Meta platforms, the DSC in Ireland handles such complaints.
PD/ADB // ADB.
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