European Union opens investigation into TikTok
The European Union has officially launched an investigation into TikTok to assess potential violations of the bloc’s regulations aimed at protecting children and ensuring transparent advertising on the ByteDance-owned social media platform. European Commissioner for Internal Market Thierry Breton, in a statement posted on X (formerly Twitter), announced, “Today we open an investigation into TikTok over suspected breach of transparency & obligations to protect minors: addictive design & screen time limits, rabbit hole effect, age verification, default privacy settings.”
Breton underscored that the EU’s inquiry is based on the examination of TikTok’s risk assessment report and its responses to information requests. Any breaches identified would be subject to the rules outlined in the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA), which came into effect on February 17. These rules designate large online platforms and search engines as ‘gatekeepers,’ imposing additional responsibilities to combat illegal content.
If found in violation, ByteDance could face fines of up to six percent of its global turnover. The Commission’s investigation will particularly focus on TikTok’s algorithmic systems, which have been accused of fostering behavioral addictions. Additionally, the probe will assess whether TikTok has implemented appropriate measures to ensure a high level of privacy, safety, and security for minors.
Kerry is a Content Creator at www.systemtek.co.uk she has spent many years working in IT support, her main interests are computing, networking and AI.