The allegations, categorized as preliminary findings under the Digital Services Act, require major tech companies to enhance their efforts against illegal and harmful content. This marks the fourth such claim against TikTok in the past two years.
The European Commission, acting as the technological enforcement body for the EU, stated that TikTok accounts do not meet DSA safety criteria.
The regulators pointed out that the platform lets children opt for public accounts, making their content visible to the public and increasing the risk of cyberbullying or unwanted contact from abusers.
Even private accounts are deemed unsafe, as they can be easily discovered via the ’following’ and ’followers’ lists of other users, including those without a TikTok account.
The Commission advised TikTok to modify default settings for public accounts held by minors so that their content would only be visible to TikTok users approved by the children themselves.
TikTok responded that it would review the EU’s findings and engage constructively with the authorities.
”Teen accounts on TikTok come with over 50 preset privacy and safety options, designed with expert input, right from the account setup,” the company stated.
”Accounts for users under 18 are private by default, and we are among the few platforms that prevent younger teens from utilizing direct messaging or having their content featured in the For You feed,” it added.
TikTok will now have the opportunity to review the Commission’s documentation and provide feedback before the regulators issue a ruling, which may include fines of up to 6% of the company’s global annual revenue.
”The Digital Services Act mandates that platforms incorporate protections for minors directly into their service designs and holds them accountable for any shortcomings,” EU tech chief Henna Virkkunen remarked in a statement. ”A high level of protection should be standard rather than optional.”
The company has previously made concessions to avoid penalties in two other cases, while a third remains unresolved.
