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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:

I sent a very clear signal to Shou Zi Chew, CEO of Tiktok, that we need to step up our efforts to comply with EU legislation on data protection, copyright and online platforms.

EU Commissioner Thierry Breton

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

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