Lack of data and protecting young people: Tiktok video app has long been criticized. Now the EU Commission has threatened sanctions for life-threatening content.
The EU Commission has threatened Shou Zi Chew, head of popular video app Tiktok, with sweeping sanctions if his company fails to comply with European rules in the future.
EU Commissioner: Life-threatening content on Tiktok
Following a meeting with Chew on Thursday, EU Commissioner Thierry Breton said it was unacceptable for users to be able to access dangerous and sometimes even life-threatening content within seconds through features that seemed funny and harmless.
He was also concerned about allegations that journalists were being spied on and personal data being transferred to places outside of Europe. He shared:
New EU law allows ban
This is especially true of the new EU digital services law (Digital Services Act, DSA), which will apply to major platforms from 1 September this year. We will not hesitate to decide on all possible sanctions in case the inspections do not show full compliance,” he said.
The new EU law also allows for the banning of services in the EU in case of repeated serious violations that endanger people’s life or safety.
Tiktok denied the allegations
Tiktok, the internet platform owned by the Chinese group Bytedance, has long been criticized for insufficient data security and a lack of protection for young users. For example, there are fears that the Chinese state may have access to Tiktok data. Tiktok denies it.
The Irish data protection agency is already investigating possible violations of EU data protection law against Bytedance.
In the US, the app has long been viewed as a potential security risk. In late December, Congress passed a law banning government officials from downloading the app to work phones.
Source: ZDF
I’m Ashley Robinson, a professional writer and journalist. I specialize in news writing and have been working for the past five years with News Unrolled. My main focus is on technology-related topics, though I also write about politics, healthcare, and business from time to time.