EU Groups Accuse Google of Scam Ad Failures as Firms Push Back

On May 22, European consumer groups led by BEUC accused Google, Meta and TikTok under the Digital Services Act of allowing financial scam ads to reach users after reporting only 27% of nearly 900 suspect ads were removed. The filings follow Ofcom’s May 20 rebuke of YouTube and TikTok for failing to protect UK children, with 73% of 11-17 year-olds exposed to harmful content via personalized feeds. Companies responded by highlighting stronger internal controls, including Google’s claim of blocking over 99% of violating ads before viewing. Regulators may impose fines up to 6% of global turnover, increasing compliance costs and downside risk for GOOG.OQ.