Platform Enforcement IndexOctober 2026
TikTok reported two-thirds fewer DSA decisions — as UK regulators opened two Meta investigations. Total DSA-reported enforcement fell to 81.5M decisions in October 2026 (−28.8% per day), driven by TikTok, whose reported decisions fell 66.8% per day before recovering on the month's last three days; Facebook (+17%) and Snapchat (+28.3%) rose. In the UK, Ofcom and the CMA each opened an investigation into Meta, while Google accounted for 12 of 16 ad-policy changes.
The Cross-Source Story
Three independent datasets, one direction. No single source tells this story.
UK regulators turned to Meta. On 6 October Ofcom opened an Online Safety Act investigation into whether Meta failed to carry out further suitable and sufficient illegal content and children's risk assessments for the launch of Instants, an Instagram feature launched on 13 May 2026. On 30 October the CMA opened a Competition Act investigation into whether Meta's commercial terms for businesses may be an abuse of a dominant position; the CMA is examining concerns that the terms unfairly harm news publishers and other content businesses. The CMA also published responses to its consultation on a proposed user choice conduct requirement for Google's general search services. Neither investigation has reached a finding, and no penalty was imposed. Layer 3 — Regulator early signals: Ofcom, CMA (public case pages & notices)
Google drove the month's ad-policy changes. Of 16 substantive changes, 12 came from Google's ad, shopping, app and video policies — opening online lottery ads in Colombia and gambling ads in the Nigerian states of Enugu and Imo, updating its United Arab Emirates licensing requirements for crypto and complex speculative financial products, prohibiting prediction-market ads in Connecticut, and announcing that its child sexual abuse and exploitation ads policy becomes a standalone Child Safety policy, enforced from 11 January 2027. Meta tightened financial-services ads twice: identity verification and proof of regulatory authorization moved from "may be required" to "are required" where this is a requirement, and US ads for investment products are now limited to accredited brokerages and licensed financial advisers verified through Meta's financial services verification process. Layer 2 — AuditSocials policy scanner: official platform policy pages (Google Ads, Google Merchant Center, Google Play, YouTube, Meta, TikTok, Pinterest)
TikTok's reporting volume dropped, then returned. Total DSA-reported decisions fell to 81.5M, down 28.8% per day. TikTok reported 17.1M decisions (−66.8% per day): between about 0.15M and 0.56M a day from 1 to 28 October, against roughly 1.3M–1.9M on most September days, before reporting more than 2M a day on 29–31 October. The database does not say why. Facebook (+17%), Snapchat (+28.3%) and Pinterest (+10.6%) rose, while Instagram (−30.1%) and YouTube (−25.6%) fell. Intellectual property decisions more than doubled (+129.5%) as most other categories declined. 94.1% of decisions were fully or partially automated. Layer 1 — EU DSA Transparency Database, CC BY 4.0
Platform Enforcement Volume · Layer 1
How much each platform moderated in October 2026, from the EU DSA Transparency Database.
By Platform
Total content-moderation decisions each platform reported to the EU DSA Transparency Database — October volume versus September, with the month-over-month change in the daily average (monthly total ÷ days covered).
| Platform | September | October | MoM / day |
|---|---|---|---|
 Facebook | 28,266,711 | 34,175,412 | +17% |
 TikTok | 49,910,402 | 17,132,894 | -66.8% |
 Pinterest | 13,764,858 | 15,730,946 | +10.6% |
 Instagram | 11,221,242 | 8,109,875 | -30.1% |
 YouTube | 6,555,088 | 5,037,327 | -25.6% |
 X | 690,425 | 724,084 | +1.5% |
 Snapchat | 427,446 | 566,797 | +28.3% |
 LinkedIn | 40,214 | 42,191 | +1.5% |
Biggest Category Movers
The harm categories with the largest month-over-month change in enforcement.
| Category | September | October | MoM / day |
|---|---|---|---|
| Intellectual Property | 514,949 | 1,221,362 | +129.5% |
| Consumer Information | 2,302,580 | 611,111 | -74.3% |
| Violence | 11,705,540 | 5,455,053 | -54.9% |
| Self-Harm | 2,336,324 | 1,325,483 | -45.1% |
| Scams & Fraud | 11,612,612 | 6,899,527 | -42.5% |
By Action Type
What platforms did — how October's decisions split across removals, account bans and demotions.
By Content Type
What kind of content was actioned — share of decisions by media format.
Policy Changes · Layer 2
All 16 substantive policy changes detected on official platform pages this period, shown in full. Google accounted for 12 of 16 changes: it opened online lottery ads in Colombia and gambling ads in the Nigerian states of Enugu and Imo, allowed certified online gambling advertisers on YouTube Masthead, updated its United Arab Emirates licensing requirements for crypto and complex speculative financial products, prohibited prediction-market ads in Connecticut, and announced a standalone Child Safety ads policy enforced from 11 January 2027. Meta made identity verification and regulatory authorization required for financial-services advertisers where this is a requirement, and limited US investment-product ads to accredited brokerages and licensed financial advisers verified through its financial services verification process.
Google AdsGoogle Ads: Other Restricted Businesses Update
Google added a 'Dating and companionship services' section to its Other Restricted Businesses page. The certification requirement itself is not new: Google's separate Dating and Companionship policy already requires dating, matchmaking and similar advertisers to hold a Google Ads certification, bar users under 18, and stay clear of compensated dating and mail-order spouse services. The new section adds application guidance: the certificate is named 'General Dating and Companionship'; without it, ads may be restricted or accounts may be put on a $0 daily spending limit pending review; applicants must provide test account credentials, their Customer ID and the domains or App IDs to promote; app advertisers may need a screen recording under 20MB; and after approval the certificate can take up to 24 hours to sync.
MetaMeta: Restricted: Financial Services Update
For ads targeting the United States, the investment products and opportunities restriction was tightened. Ads can no longer promote any investment products or opportunities, including in educational or informational content, unless the advertiser is an accredited brokerage or licensed financial advisor verified through Meta's financial services verification process. The existing ban on investment promotions suggesting direct-messaging interaction remains. A new change log entry dated Oct 29, 2026 was also added.
Google AdsGoogle Ads: Dangerous Products or Services Update
Google added a line to its Dangerous products or services policy stating that, beginning October 2026, select firearm accessories will be allowed in the United States. The linked Guns, gun parts, and related products policy limits this to gun parts and components that do not require a permit, do not convert a semi-automatic to an automatic weapon, and are not regulated at the state or federal level, citing tripods, bipods, scopes and sights as examples. Outside these conditions and outside the United States, the ban on parts essential to or enhancing a gun's functionality remains on the page. The 'Tobacco policy' to 'tobacco policy' edit is capitalization only.
MetaMeta: Restricted: Financial Services Update
Meta changed its Financial and Insurance Products and Services ad policy (change log dated Oct 26, 2026). Advertisers promoting financial products and services "are required" (previously "may be required") to verify their business and/or individual identity and to demonstrate authorization by the relevant regulatory authorities where this is a requirement; Meta may review any such authorization. The separate overview line saying advertisers "may be required to be licensed in the country they are targeting" is unchanged.
Google AdsGoogle Ads: 2026 Policy Changes Update
Google Ads announced on October 22, 2026 that in January 2027 its "Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation" (CSAE) ads policy will be renamed "Child Safety" and restructured as a standalone policy outside the Inappropriate Content policy, covering all formats including real, fictional, cartoon and AI-generated media. It will have two labels: Egregious Child Safety Violations (such as CSAM, grooming, sextortion and child trafficking), which lead to account suspension on detection without prior warning, and Other Child Safety Violations (such as non-sexual depictions of child nudity), which get a warning at least 7 days before any suspension. Enforcement of the new Child Safety policy begins January 11, 2027.
Google MerchantGoogle Merchant: Merchant Center Changelog Update
Added a new changelog entry announcing a warranty [warranty] attribute in the product data specification for merchants serving Shopping ads and free listings in Canada. Under Québec's Bill 29, merchants selling certain new electronics and household appliances to Québec consumers must display a mandatory legal warranty duration near the product price, including on digital ads. Merchants can submit warranty information now, and display on ads and free listings will begin later this year.
Google AdsGoogle Ads: Gambling Ads Update
Google added Lotteries to the list of online gambling products allowed in Colombia. The Colombia entry now also states that lottery operators must provide their authorization from the Consejo Nacional de Juegos de Suerte y Azar (CNJSA), alongside the existing requirement that operators be registered with Colijuegos and hold a valid license.
Google AdsGoogle Ads: Updates to Cryptocurrencies and related products policy (October 2026) Update
Google Ads is updating the United Arab Emirates licensing requirements in its Cryptocurrencies and related products policy and its Complex speculative financial products policy, effective October 21, 2026. Cryptocurrency exchanges and software wallets targeting the UAE must be licensed by the Capital Market Authority (CMA), Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA), Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA) or Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA); the current policy lists only FSRA (multilateral trading facility licence) and VARA. For CFDs and rolling spot forex targeting the UAE, the accepted regulators become CMA, DFSA and FSRA, with CMA replacing the Securities & Commodities Authority (SCA) in the current list. Google certification is still required, and Google says violations will get a warning at least 7 days before any account suspension.
TikTokTikTok: Ads Policy: Other Products And Services Update
TikTok's "Other products and services" ads policy (last updated October 2026) now explicitly lists "counterfeit currency or the means to manufacture or distribute the same" among the examples of unsuitable business products or services that are not allowed in ads.
Google AdsGoogle Ads: 2026 Policy Changes Update
Google Ads announced in September 2026 that, effective October 14, 2026, its Gambling and games policy allows online gambling ads targeting the Nigerian states of Enugu and Imo. Advertisers targeting Enugu must hold a license from the Enugu State Gaming and Lottery Commission (ESGLC); those targeting Imo need a license from the Imo State Lotteries and Gaming Authority (ISLGA). The eligible Nigerian states are now Cross River, Ekiti, Enugu, Imo, Lagos and Oyo. Allowed products: bingo, sports betting, fantasy sports, lotteries, online casino games and online games, plus Google Ads gambling certification.
PinterestPinterest: AI at Pinterest (labels) Update
Pinterest updated its AI transparency disclosure for Navigator. Previously described as a single model (Navigator-1) trained only on synthetic conversation data that was not collected from users, Navigator is now a family of multimodal models trained on a combination of synthetic data, public content on the platform and usage data from AI-powered features. Pinterest lists more than 150,000 synthetic conversation examples, more than 1,000,000 image-and-text data points and more than 100,000 conversational-log data points. Collected content dates back to Pinterest's 2010 launch, AI-feature usage data is collected after October 2026, and collection is ongoing. The Pinterest Canvas disclosure also changed from approximately 500,000,000 rows to more than 600,000,000 data points of public Pins, descriptions and metadata.
Google AdsGoogle Ads: Prediction Markets Update
Google Ads now prohibits ads for prediction market contracts and related products targeting Connecticut. Connecticut was added to the exclusions of the only approved target location, which now reads "United States (excluding Connecticut, Michigan, Nevada, New York, and Ohio)". Google's change log states the prohibition is effective October 7, 2026.
Google AdsGoogle Ads: 2026 Policy Changes Update
Google added two entries to its Ads policy change log: "Update to Prediction Markets (October 2026)" and "Updates to YouTube Masthead Ad Requirements (October 2026)". The linked notices state that prediction market ads in Connecticut are prohibited from October 7, 2026, and that from October 21, 2026 YouTube Masthead ads are permitted for online gambling advertisers certified under the Gambling and games policy, excluding advertisers of online-gambling promoting content who are not subject to mandatory state or national gambling registration. This expands the existing Masthead allowance for sports betting.
Google AdsGoogle Ads: 2026 Policy Changes Update
Google Ads will update its Gambling and games policy on October 21, 2026 to allow online lottery ads in Colombia from entities authorized by Colombia's Consejo Nacional de Juegos de Suerte y Azar (CNJSA). Lottery operators must be registered with Colijuegos and hold a valid license, and must also provide CNJSA authorization, plus Google Ads gambling certification.
YouTubeYouTube: Ad Guideline Updates Update
YouTube has added clarification to its 'Hateful and Derogatory Content' and 'Harmful Acts and Unreliable Content' policies, stating that certain content of public interest will be eligible to earn ad revenue. This change applies to the YouTube platform.
Google PlayGoogle Play: Policy Deadlines Update
Reminder: Google Play has added the 2026-09-30 Play Console app registration deadline to its Policy Deadlines page. The requirement was first announced on 2026-07-15 and the deadline has now passed. To meet Android developer verification and Play Console requirements, developers must register their Play apps in Play Console. Google says 99% of apps were registered automatically, but any remaining apps you want to keep distributing should be registered from the Play Console Home page to avoid global removal from Google Play. Apps distributed outside Google Play can also be registered so they install on certified Android devices.
Regulator Early Signals · Layer 3
3 published signals. UK regulators opened two investigations into Meta — Ofcom under the Online Safety Act over risk assessments for Instagram's Instants feature, and the CMA under the Competition Act over Meta's commercial terms for businesses — while the CMA published consultation responses on a proposed user choice conduct requirement for Google's general search services. No penalties were imposed.
| Date | Regulator | Platform | Event | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-10-30 | CMA | Meta | The CMA opened an investigation into whether Meta's commercial terms for businesses may constitute an abuse of a dominant position under Chapter II of the Competition Act 1998. It is examining concerns that the terms unfairly harm news publishers and other content businesses. | — |
| 2026-10-26 | CMA | Google | The CMA published responses to its consultation (23 September – 9 October 2026) on a proposed user choice conduct requirement for Google's general search services; further responses followed on 30 October. | — |
| 2026-10-06 | Ofcom | Meta | Ofcom opened an investigation into whether Meta failed to carry out further suitable and sufficient illegal content and children's risk assessments for the launch of Instants on Instagram, under sections 9(4) and 11(4) of the Online Safety Act 2023. Opening an investigation is not a finding of breach. | — |
Key Questions
How many content-moderation decisions were reported to the EU DSA Transparency Database in October 2026?
The eight platforms tracked in the Index reported 81,519,526 decisions from October 1, 2026 to October 31, 2026 (31 days). The daily average was 28.8% lower than in September.
Which platform reported the most moderation decisions in October 2026?
Facebook reported the most, 34,175,412 decisions, followed by TikTok (17,132,894) and Pinterest (15,730,946).
Which platform's reported decisions changed the most in October 2026?
TikTok: its daily average was 66.8% lower than in September (49,910,402 decisions in September, 17,132,894 in October).
What share of DSA moderation decisions were automated in October 2026?
94.1% of decisions were fully or partially automated, according to what the platforms reported to the DSA Transparency Database.
How many platform policy changes did AuditSocials detect in October 2026?
16 substantive changes on official platform policy pages: Google Ads 9, Meta 2, Google Merchant 1, TikTok 1, Pinterest 1, YouTube 1, Google Play 1.
Which regulator actions concerned specific platforms in October 2026?
October 30, 2026: CMA (Meta). The CMA opened an investigation into whether Meta's commercial terms for businesses may constitute an abuse of a dominant position under Chapter II of the Competition Act 1998. It is examining concerns that the terms unfairly harm news publishers and other content businesses. October 26, 2026: CMA (Google). The CMA published responses to its consultation (23 September – 9 October 2026) on a proposed user choice conduct requirement for Google's general search services; further responses followed on 30 October. October 6, 2026: Ofcom (Meta). Ofcom opened an investigation into whether Meta failed to carry out further suitable and sufficient illegal content and children's risk assessments for the launch of Instants on Instagram, under sections 9(4) and 11(4) of the Online Safety Act 2023. Opening an investigation is not a finding of breach.
Data Quality & Methodology
- • Month-over-month changes compare daily averages (monthly total ÷ days covered), so months of different length are comparable.
- • TikTok's lower October volume is what TikTok reported to the DSA Transparency Database: we checked sample days against the database's own API and they match our ingest. The database does not record why reporting fell between 1 and 28 October, and late submissions could still change these figures.
- • On 3 October every platform reported unusually few decisions to the DSA Transparency Database (YouTube about 1,300, against more than 100,000 on most days). This is a source-side low, not an ingest gap.
- • “Automated” = fully or partially automated decisions (DSA automated_decision FULLY or PARTIALLY); fully automated decisions alone are a smaller share.
- • Enforcement is applied overwhelmingly EU-wide: nearly all EU member states show near-identical volumes because most decisions carry EU-wide territorial scope. We therefore do not publish a per-country ranking.
- • Category figures exclude platforms' own terms-of-service “other” bucket; only standard DSA categories are reported.
- • Published on 1 November 2026, covering all 31 days of October. No September Index was published; September comparatives come from the same pull, so month-over-month change is computed on a consistent basis. DSA figures settle over time as platforms backfill late submissions, so the most recent days may still change.
- • The Ofcom investigation was opened on 6 October 2026 (per Ofcom's case page); AuditSocials detected it on 13 October.
- • Layers 2 and 3 are AuditSocials-detected (policy scanner reading official platform pages; public regulator pages) — not official aggregates. Each item is independently verifiable via its source.
- • Policy-change dates are detection / log dates, which can differ from a policy's true effective date.
Source: EU DSA Transparency Database, CC BY 4.0 · transparency.dsa.ec.europa.eu
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