EU investigates TikTok for violating child protection laws – 02/19/2024 – Tech

The European Union (EU) opened a “formal procedure” against the social network TikTok for possible violation of transparency and protection standards for minors, as announced by the European Commissioner for the Internal Market, Thierry Breton, this Monday (19).

“Today we opened an investigation into TikTok on suspicion of violating transparency and obligations to protect minors,” Breton published on the social network X (formerly Twitter).

The procedure is the second of its kind in the EU in light of the new regulation of digital platforms, following a similar investigation against X.

The European Commission, the EU’s executive arm, highlighted in a statement that the investigation will also assess whether TikTok violated existing regulations on “data access, risk management, addictive design and harmful content.”

“TikTok needs to closely examine the services it offers and carefully consider the risks they pose to its users, both young and old,” said the commission’s executive vice president, Margrethe Vestager.

The formal investigation will focus on four areas

1. How TikTok assesses and mitigates systemic risks
2. Compliance with the protection of the privacy and security of minors
3. “Reliable” advertising issuance
4. Measures adopted to increase transparency

“The commission will now conduct an in-depth investigation of a priority nature”, informed the entity.

The investigation takes place due to new legislation that regulates the operation of digital platforms in European territory. This regulation requires companies to intensify efforts to better manage online content.