The European Union says TikTok might be breaking the rules because it's not clear enough about the adverts people see on the app.

The EU said TikTok's ad library doesn't meet the rules of the Digital Services Act (DSA).

The Commission said that ad information is very important for researchers. It helps them find fake ads, campaigns that spread false information, and other misleading ads, especially during elections.

The DSA is a set of rules to make social media better and safer. It helps protect people from things like fake news that can affect elections. Social media sites need to be clear about online adverts, like saying why you see a certain advert and who paid for it.

The Commission said TikTok isn't giving enough information about what the ads show, who they are for, and who is paying for them. They said you can't easily search the database for ads using this information, which makes it less helpful.

TikTok said they are looking at what the Commission found. They still want to do everything the DSA asks of them.

"We agree with what the rules are trying to do, and we are making our ads more open. But we don't agree with everything the Commission says. We also think they are giving advice through early results, not clear rules for everyone."

Henna Virkkunen said that the problems with the ad database make it hard to fully check the risks of its ad targeting. She is in charge of technology, security, and democracy for the commission.

Virkkunen said that it's very important to be clear about online adverts – who is paying for them and how people are chosen to see them. This helps to protect everyone. She added that people need to know who is sending the messages they see, whether it's to keep elections fair, protect health, or stop people being tricked by fake adverts.

TikTok can now respond before the Commission makes its final decision. This decision could mean TikTok has to pay a fine of up to 6% of its yearly income from all over the world.

TikTok is being checked by the EU to see if it did enough to protect the presidential election in Romania. The election had problems last year because people said there were mistakes and that Russia interfered.