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TikTok freeze a gamification feature article in the European Union succeed an treatment by the axis . With attention on TikTok ’s uprise pile ofU.S. effectual woes , the announcement went mostly unnoticed when it hap previous local clip Wednesday .
TikTok ’s move came just two days after the EU openedan investigation into a “ task and reward ” mechanismon the TikTok Lite app , citing concerns over an habit-forming aim that could pose a mental wellness jeopardy for young the great unwashed . The lineament allows users to earn point for doing things like catch and liking TikTok videos . ByteDance , TikTok ’s parent , launched this interlingual rendition of TikTok Lite in France and Spain to begin with this month .
Under the EU ’s reboot online brass and content moderation rulebook , theDigital Services Act(DSA ) , TikTok has a legal debt instrument to mitigate systemic risks in areas like tike refuge and genial health . Yet it break to produce a hazard judgement reputation on the characteristic when the axis ’s hatchet man came knock .
This is a big deal , as the company could face large punishment under the DSA — of up to 6 % of its spheric one-year dollar volume — if it ’s found to have broken the EU ’s rules .
In a statementposted on Xyesterday , TikTok claim it ’s “ voluntarily suspending ” the rewards feature in the region to address concerns . However , on Monday , the Commission point it was preparing to force TikTok ’s handwriting , saying it was given to use interim measures exponent incorporate in the DSA to close down down the app while it conducts an investigation into the feature .
The EU turn over TikTok two days to provide arguments against an enforced closure . In the event , TikTok opted to displace enforcement by announcing a “ voluntary ” suspension .
The growth emphasise how even the threat of interim enforcement can pack a slug that forces political platform giants to rethink . ( We ’ve see this kind of matter before in relation to exchangeable tycoon contained in the bloc ’s General Data Protection Regulation , for example — such as a decision by Googleback in 2019to stanch human review of audio snipping capture by its voice AI after a data trade protection authority had inform Google of an intent to use an urging proceeding to order it to finish processing the datum . )
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This conversant crisis public relations tactics aims to get ahead of the negative publicity associate with an enforced shutdown by accept action in advance of a formal order .
however , the EU is taking the profits : answer to TikTok ’s announcement with acounter - post on X , the bloc ’s national - mart - commissioner - come - internet - sheriff , Thierry Breton , warned : “ Our children are not guinea pigs for social medium . ”
Our kid are not guinea pigs for social medium .
I take note of TikTok ’s decision to suspend the#TikTokLite“Reward Program ” in the EU .
The cases against TikTok on the risk of addictiveness of the platform continue.#DSAensures the safety of our 🇪 🇺 online space.https://t.co/J1oI6zNI97
— Thierry Breton ( @ThierryBreton)April 24 , 2024
Breton went on to write that he “ takes note ” of TikTok ’s respite of the reward program for the Lite app in the EU , tally : “ The cases against TikTok on the risk of exposure of addictiveness of the political platform continue . ”
TikTok was contacted for substantiation on the condition of the TikTok Lite app in France and Spain . As the name advise , TikTok Lite is an substitute TikTok app for users who have aged telephone set or who mostly connect to 2 deoxyguanosine monophosphate or 3 deoxyguanosine monophosphate networks .
The EU has two DSA probe exposed on TikTok : The first , announced back inFebruary , is looking into a broad sweep of suspect noncompliance in areas such as habit-forming pattern , child protection , advertizing transparency and information admittance for researchers . The second , announce earlier this calendar week , is focused on TikTok Lite .
Still , Elon Musk - owned X was the first very large online weapons platform to go under DSA investigationback in December , just a few month after thelate August complaisance deadlinehad kicked in . That investigation also remains ongoing .
EU spread out probe of TikTok Lite , citing concerns about habit-forming design
