In a move aimed at safeguarding children and ensuring transparent advertising practices, the European Union has announced an investigation into ByteDance’s TikTok platform.
EU industry chief, Thierry Breton confirmed on Monday that the decision to launch the probe came after scrutinizing TikTok’s risk assessment report and its responses to inquiries, validating an earlier report by Reuters.
“Today we open an investigation into TikTok over suspected breach of transparency & obligations to protect minors: addictive design & screen time limits, rabbit hole effect, age verification, default privacy settings,” Breton stated.
This investigation falls under the ambit of the European Union’s Digital Services Act (DSA), which came into effect on February 17, encompassing all online platforms. The DSA mandates stricter measures for very large online platforms and search engines to combat illegal online content and threats to public security.
Should TikTok, owned by China-based ByteDance, be found guilty of violating DSA regulations, it could face fines of up to 6% of its global turnover.
In response, TikTok expressed its commitment to collaborating with experts and the industry to ensure the safety of young users. A spokesperson for TikTok highlighted the platform’s efforts to pioneer features and settings aimed at protecting teenagers and preventing under-13s from accessing the platform.
The European Commission specified that the investigation will delve into TikTok’s system design, including algorithmic elements that could potentially promote addictive behaviors and the ‘rabbit hole effect’.
Additionally, the probe will assess whether TikTok has implemented adequate measures to ensure the privacy, safety, and security of minors. Furthermore, the Commission aims to evaluate TikTok’s transparency regarding advertisements on its platform, facilitating researchers in scrutinizing potential online risks.
This investigation marks the second inquiry under the DSA, following a previous investigation into Elon Musk’s social media platform X in December last year.