Insufficient data security and a lack of protection for young users – the video app Tiktok has been criticized time and again. The EU Commission even speaks of life-threatening content.
The EU Commission has threatened the head of the popular video app Tiktok, Shou Zi Chew, with far-reaching sanctions if his company does not comply with European rules in the future.
After a conversation with Chew, EU Commissioner Thierry Breton said it was unacceptable that users could access dangerous and sometimes even life-threatening content within a few seconds via seemingly funny and harmless features. He was also concerned about allegations that journalists were being spied on and that personal data was being transferred to locations outside Europe.
EU law on digital services
“I sent a very clear signal to Tiktok CEO Shou Zi Chew that there is a need to step up our efforts to comply with EU legislation on data protection, copyright and online platforms,” Breton said. This applies in particular to the new EU law on digital services (Digital Services Act, DSA), which will apply to large platforms from September 1st of this year.
“We will not hesitate to decide on all possible sanctions if audits do not show full compliance,” he added. The new EU law also allows services in the EU to be banned in the event of repeated serious violations that endanger the life or safety of people.
The Internet platform Tiktok, which belongs to the Chinese Bytedance group, has long been criticized for insufficient data security and a lack of protection for young users. It is feared, for example, that the Chinese state could have access to Tiktok data. Tiktok denies that.
