If TikTok was in a pressure cooker, it might be close to bursting. Adding to TikTok’s burden, the EU now warns the app that it will need to adhere to its laws and regulations or risk yet another full ban in the region. Wow, seems that the only way to really beat TikTok is to spam it with regional ban threats, eh? A cheap tactic, but if it works, then it works.

Reduce, Reuse, Ban

As seen in this Tweet, EU Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton recently met with TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew to discuss the app’s obligations in the region, specifically in regard to the protection of young users.

Breton informed Chew that TikTok will come under specific scrutiny when the EU’s new Digital Services Act (DSA) comes in this September. This updated DSA includes new provisions for the protection of users, more specifically, young users, concerning content, data usage, and more. Breton further informed Chew that if the new rules were already in place, TikTok would likely violate them as it stands today.

Breton explained that it isn’t acceptable that TikTok users can access ‘harmful and sometimes even life-threatening content’ within seconds after logging in. Should that situation stand, Breton says that TikTok could face a full ban in the region, adding even more pressure on the apps currently boiling plate. 

TikTok is already tackling potential full banning in the US over its potential connection to the Chinese Government. TikTok says that it’s committed to meeting the requirements of the DSA, as well as Europe’s GDPR and that it’s on track to improve its systems to better align with all requirements. This is another threat to the app’s dominant run in the space, which could potentially see TikTok face restrictions around the world, as more regulators dig deeper into the app’s impact and linkage to outside influences.

TikTok has been working to distance itself from the notion that it’s being used as a surveillance tool by the CCP, which includes a multi-million dollar plan to separate its US user data from its China-based staff. So far, however, those concerns have not been abated, with a growing number of US states now banning the app on official devices, and have even called on the White House to also take action. On that note, European officials also have their concerns. These new incoming laws could push TikTok to implement more measures to stop users from easily coming across harmful content.

The Wrap

Could this really happen? Breton, right now, is known more for his bark, rather than his bite. He makes a public show about keeping social platform management in line but has so far banned Zero apps for violations of the EU’s evolving rules. This isn’t to say that it won’t happen, but this display is more a public push to garner favor, as opposed to being a genuine effort to help TikTok straighten out any possible dents in its operations. So far, not a good-looking year for TikTok.

Sources

http://bit.ly/3Ws1Iur