TikTok, the popular social media platform owned by ByteDance, has been found to be in non-compliance with upcoming EU rules, according to a stress test conducted by the EU Internal Market Commissioner, Thierry Breton, and his team.
The test examined various aspects of TikTok’s operations, including child protection, content recommendation system, moderation, illegal content, data access, and transparency.
While TikTok has been praised for its willingness to undergo the test and allocate resources for compliance, further improvements are necessary for the platform to meet the compliance deadline set by the EU Digital Services Acts. Failure to do so could result in fines or even bans from EU countries.
Given TikTok’s significant impact on individuals’ lives and democratic processes, the potential for bans in major markets, including the EU and the US, looms.
In response, TikTok plans to segregate data on local servers and involve domestic partners in data access controls. The assessment of these proposed changes will take place by the end of August.
What the Stress Test Revealed
The stress test conducted on TikTok’s compliance with EU rules revealed areas of non-compliance, including child protection, content recommendation system, moderation, illegal content, data access, and transparency.
This test, carried out by EU Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton and his team, highlighted the need for TikTok to make significant improvements in order to meet the upcoming EU Digital Services Acts compliance deadline on August 25.
As TikTok has a significant impact on people’s lives and democracies, failure of its systems can have dramatic consequences. Despite facing potential bans in major markets, including the EU and the US, TikTok has voluntarily agreed to undergo the stress test and commit resources to compliance.
The assessment of changes will be conducted by the end of August, emphasizing the urgency for TikTok to accelerate its compliance efforts.
Areas of Non-Compliance
Areas pertaining to child protection, content recommendation system, moderation, illegal content, data access, and transparency were found to be lacking in adherence during the TikTok stress test conducted in Dublin.
The test, led by EU Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton and his team, aimed to assess TikTok’s compliance with upcoming EU rules.
The findings highlight the need for TikTok to improve in these areas to meet the compliance deadline set for August 25th.
Non-compliance in child protection raises concerns about the safety of TikTok’s young users, while issues with the content recommendation system and moderation processes may contribute to the spread of harmful or inappropriate content.
Furthermore, the presence of illegal content on the platform raises legal and ethical concerns.
Insufficient data access and transparency undermine user trust and hinder regulatory oversight.
TikTok must address these shortcomings to avoid potential fines or bans from EU countries and demonstrate its commitment to user safety and compliance with EU regulations.
Consequences and Future Actions
Consequences of the identified deficiencies in TikTok’s adherence to regulations and the subsequent actions required to address them are crucial for ensuring user safety and maintaining compliance with EU standards.
The stress test conducted by EU Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton and his team revealed that TikTok is not fully compliant with upcoming EU rules. As TikTok has a significant impact on people’s lives and democracies, the failure of its systems to meet compliance can have dramatic consequences.
The app faces potential bans in major markets, including the EU and the US, and US lawmakers have already proposed bills to block the app.
To address these issues, TikTok plans to wall off data on local servers and enlist domestic partners for data access controls. However, Breton emphasizes the need for TikTok to accelerate compliance, and an assessment of the changes will be conducted by the end of August.
