Anacom recorded 54 complaints concerning digital services during this period, 10 of which were forwarded to the Digital Services Coordinator in Ireland, marking an increase of eight complaints from the same period last year.
The complaints indicated potential violations of the Digital Services Regulation (DSA) by intermediary service providers based in the country, including platforms such as Meta, X platform, and Google.
Facebook, owned by Meta, was the most complained-about platform in the third quarter since the DSA came into force, prompting 13 complaints (24%), which is five more than in the same period last year.
Also noteworthy is the X platform, with eight complaints (15%), followed by Google’s service providers and Whatsapp (Meta) with six complaints each (11%), and Instagram (Meta) with four complaints (7%).
Very large online platforms (VLOP) established in other member states account for over 50% of the complaints recorded in Portugal about digital services. Meta’s service providers (Facebook, Instagram, and Whatsapp) are responsible for 43% of these service complaints.
The primary reason for complaints about digital services was the suspension, restriction, or removal of accounts or content by service providers, based on alleged violations of law or their contractual terms and conditions, which service recipients deemed unjustified.
This reason accounted for 44% of the complaints received during the analysis period, with 26 complaints recorded, 18 more than in the third quarter of 2024, and has been increasing since the DSA came into effect.
The report of illegal content is the second most common complaint, present in 20% of complaints, and has also been rising since last year, referred to the appropriate authorities whenever suitable.
