According to reports, the European Commission officially launched an investigation on TikTok, aiming at examining whether the platform has taken sufficient measures to curb the spread of illegal content and whether it complies with the provisions of the EU’s Digital Services Law on the protection of minors and the transparency of advertisements. This survey involves many aspects, including whether TikTok algorithm system may promote addictive behavior, whether it fulfills the obligation to protect the privacy and safety of minors, and provides a reliable information base for advertisements.
The European Commission said that although TikTok has taken some measures to protect minors, these measures may not be enough to deal with all the problems. After the formal procedure is initiated, the European Commission has the right to take further enforcement measures. In addition, the initiation of the investigation procedure does not preclude the European Commission from investigating other possible violations of the Digital Services Law, such as spreading illegal content such as terrorism or child sexual abuse, or whether TikTok has fulfilled its obligation to report criminal suspects.
This is a survey conducted by the European Union on the second super-large online platform. Earlier, the European Union also launched a similar lawsuit against Elon Musk’s social media platform X (formerly known as Twitter), which involved illegal and misleading reports on the Gaza war.
The Digital Services Act is applicable to all Internet platforms in the European Union from February 17th. According to the Act, TikTok was recognized as a super-large online platform, and began to fulfill its obligations stipulated in the Digital Services Law four months after it was recognized as such a platform. It is reported that as of April 25, 2023, TikTok has 135.9 million monthly active users in the European Union. TikTok may face a fine of up to 6% of its annual turnover if it is found to violate the provisions of the Digital Services Law.
The survey shows that the EU has strengthened its supervision on online platforms, aiming at ensuring the security and transparency of the online environment, especially protecting minors from the influence of bad content.
Post time: Feb-21-2024