New EU summons. TikTok must quickly comply with European data law requirements, Thierry Breton, European Commissioner responsible for the internal market, told TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew during a videoconference on Thursday (January 19th).
“With younger audiences comes greater responsibility”
According to a report of the interview carried out by Reuters, the European commissioner, once again, called on the Chinese application to respect the European regulation on digital services, the DSA. “We will not hesitate to adopt the full range of sanctions to protect our citizens if audits do not show full compliance”, said Thierry Breton. Legal obligations that will have to be respected well before the fateful date of September 1, 2023.
“With younger audiences comes greater responsibility. It is not acceptable that behind seemingly fun and harmless features it takes users seconds to access harmful and sometimes even dangerous content”, criticizes the manager again. And warn: “The DSA provides for deterrent sanctions, including a ban in the EU.”
For his part, Shou Zi Chew assured that TikTok would commit to respecting the European regulation on digital services and recalled its current efforts to comply with the general regulation on data protection, already in force since May 25, 2018.
Visit to Brussels in early January
This videoconference interview took place a few days after Shou Zi Chew’s visit to Brussels. The CEO of TikTok was thus able to meet with Vera Jourova, in charge of values and transparency, and Didier Reynders, commissioner for justice, in order to ease the last tensions. Officials were thus able to discuss “the protection of personal data, the safety of minors, transparency on paid political content and the dissemination on TikTok of Russian disinformation”.
A demining operation to avoid opening a new front within the Old Continent. In the United States, the app is at the heart of a heated debate linked to national security concerns. A bipartisan bill to ban the use of the application was thus tabled at the end of 2022. A real slingshot across the Atlantic and in many countries which could end up being exported to Europe.