TikTok is in the EU's crosshairs for its potential Digital Services Act (DSA) regarding the safety of minors and other matters. Formal procedures will focus on addictive algorithms, the “rabbit hole effect,” age verification issues, and default privacy settings. The European Commission is also investigating advertising transparency and access to data for researchers, it said in a statement. Press release.
The investigation focuses on the privacy and safety of minors. The Commission will examine potentially negative aspects of TikTok's design and algorithms, including addictive behavior and “rabbit hole effects” that can lead to harmful content. The assessment aims to “counter potential risks for the exercise of the fundamental right to the physical and mental well-being of the person (and) to respect for the rights of the child,” the EC wrote.
As part of this, she is also examining TikTok's age verification tools, which are supposed to prevent minors from accessing inappropriate content. At the same time, this will require the social networking site to ensure high levels of privacy, safety and security for minors with respect to default privacy settings: as much as he did for Meta's Instagram and Facebook.
Today we are opening an investigation into #TIC Tac following alleged violations of transparency and obligations to protect minors:
📱Addictive design and screen time limits
🕳️ Rabbit hole effect
🔞 Age Verification
🔐 Default privacy settings
Application #DSA for a safer Internet for young people pic.twitter.com/4d2F0FQUHw
-Thierry Breton (@ThierryBreton) February 19, 2024
Europe is also investigating TikTok's compliance with DSA obligations to “provide a searchable and trusted repository for advertisements.” At the same time, the agency is investigating alleged gaps in researchers' access to TikTok's publicly available data, as required by the DSA.
After the opening of the proceedings, the Commission will continue to collect evidence. The procedure allows it to take other enforcement measures, including interim measures and non-compliance decisions.
TikTok (and its parent ByteDance) were already obliged to do big changes for EU users to comply with the DSA by giving them the choice not to let algorithms populate their For You Page (FYP). It also introduced new options for reporting harmful content and removed personalized ads for EU users aged 13-17.
The EU is already investigate TikTok, along with Meta, to determine what they have done to mitigate illegal content and misinformation related to the ongoing violence in the Middle East. In 2022, Meta was hit by a $414 million fine to require personalized ads. A paid tier is rumored to be introduced to allow users to get rid of personalized ads – and TikTok. maybe also work on such a project. Civil rights groups are exhorting the EU to reject these plans, calling them “paying for privacy”.