The Minister Delegate for Digital Jean-Noël Barrot receives this Friday, March 10, 2023 one of the world leaders of the Chinese social network TikTok, in the middle of a European tour to respond to criticism of its use of data, said the ministry.
The minister will ask for the roadmap and the commitments of TikTok
Jean-Noël Barrot intends to ask Erich Andersen, general counsel of ByteDance, parent company of TikTok, “the company’s roadmap and commitments” as well as a “precise operational schedule” of the measures taken to protect the data of its users, the ministry said. This visit follows TikTok’s announcement on Wednesday March 8, 2023 of the opening of three data centers in Europe this year, two in Ireland, one in Norway, where it promises to store European user data, in response to suspicions of transfer of this data to China.
The “Clover” project to control data processing
The Chinese group has also announced a partnership with a European group responsible for controlling the processing of this data. This project, baptized “Clover”, “must materialize quickly”, estimates the French ministry. “TikTok will also have to demonstrate the full compliance of its project with European regulations, both in terms of compliance with the GDPR (data protection) and cybersecurity”. In terms of content, it must “show increased transparency on its algorithm of recommendations for users”, added the ministry.
TikTok tries to appease the mistrust of Europeans and Americans
This is the second time that the French minister will meet with world leaders from TikTok. He had met its CEO Shou Zi Chew in January. Erich Andersen has just met with political leaders in Brussels and London, and after Paris should go to Amsterdam. TikTok is trying to appease the mistrust of Europeans and Americans, several governments and institutions of which have banned the app on the work phones of their civil servants.
The European Commission and Parliament have banned TikTok from their employees’ devices, as has the Danish parliament. On Wednesday, the Czech Cybersecurity Agency (NUKIB) warned that the social network poses a “threat” to security if installed on devices with access to sensitive data. In the United States, where a law has decided to ban TikTok from the devices of public officials, a bill supported by the White House could lead to a total ban on the application.