EU launches investigation into TikTok under DSA

The European Union will conduct an investigation into potential violations of online content regulations by ByteDance’s TikTok, with a focus on safeguarding children and ensuring transparent advertising. EU industry chief Thierry Breton stated that this decision was made after reviewing TikTok’s risk assessment report and its responses to information requests.

The Digital Services Act (DSA) of the European Union mandates that major online platforms and search engines must tackle illegal content and mitigate risks to public security. As such, the investigation will focus on issues like TikTok’s system design, particularly its algorithmic systems that may encourage addictive behaviours and create ‘rabbit hole effects.’ Additionally, it will also be assessed whether TikTok has implemented adequate and proportionate measures to ensure the privacy, safety, and security of minors. In addition to minors’ protection, the Commission will also be examining whether social media company provides a dependable database of advertisements on its platform to enable researchers to analyse potential online risks.

This investigation puts the social media platform at risk of significant penalties. Social media’s parent company, ByteDance, may face fines of up to 6% of its global revenue if TikTok is found to be in violation of DSA regulations. TikTok’s spokesperson has stated their commitment to collaborating with the process and added how the company has been at the forefront of developing features and settings to protect teenagers and prevent children under the age of 13 from accessing the platform, a challenge that the entire industry is currently confronting.