Source: AFP
The EU on Monday announced a formal investigation into TikTok for alleged breaches of its obligations to protect minors online under a landmark new digital content policing law.
It is the second investigation into a major online platform since Brussels introduced the Digital Services Act (DSA), after targeting tech billionaire Elon Musk’s X in December.
Brussels is particularly concerned that the video-sharing app owned by China’s ByteDance may not be doing enough to tackle the negative impact on young people.
A key concern is the so-called “rabbit hole” effect — which occurs when users are fed relevant content based on an algorithm, which in some cases leads to more dangerous content.
The European Commission’s concerns also include TikTok’s age verification tools, which it said “may not be reasonable, proportionate and effective”.
The commission opened “formal proceedings to assess whether TikTok may have violated the DSA in other areas, including ‘advertising transparency’ and ‘access to data for researchers.’
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The action comes after TikTok’s analysis of a risk assessment report and its responses to Brussels requests for more information on the measures the video-sharing platform has taken against illegal content, protection of minors and access to data .
“Don’t spare an effort”
Regulators will continue to gather evidence, the commission said, adding that the move empowered it to take further enforcement action if necessary.
“As a platform that reaches millions of children and teenagers, TikTok must fully comply with the DSA and has a special role to play in protecting minors online,” said EU Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton.
“We are launching this formal infringement procedure today to ensure that proportionate measures are taken to protect the physical and emotional well-being of young Europeans. We must spare no effort to protect our children,” Breton added.
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TikTok has over 142 million monthly users across the EU, up from 125 million last year.
“TikTok needs to take a hard look at the services it offers and carefully consider the risks they pose to its users — young and old,” said the commission’s executive vice president Margrethe Vestager.
The formal investigation will focus on four areas: how TikTok assesses and mitigates systemic risks; how the company complies with minors’ privacy and safety; TikTok’s measures to provide a “trusted” ad repository and steps taken to increase transparency;
TikTok said it is working to protect minors online.
“TikTok has innovative features and settings to protect teens and keep under-13s off the platform, issues the entire industry is grappling with,” a TikTok spokesperson said.
“We will continue to work with experts and the industry to keep young people safe on TikTok and look forward to now having the opportunity to explain this work in detail to the Commission.”
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Risk of fines
There is no deadline for completing the procedures.
The DSA gives Brussels the power to impose heavy fines, with penalties for violations that can include fines of up to six percent of a digital company’s global revenue.
The commission can even block platforms in the 27-nation bloc for serious and repeated violations.
The EU law came into effect last year for the world’s biggest online platforms, including TikTok and X as well as Facebook and Instagram.
The new rules require companies to do more to police online content, but also expect digital retailers to act quickly and effectively to protect online shoppers.
The DSA Act applies to all platforms as of February 17.
Source: AFP