TikTok suspended a gamification characteristic within the European Union following an intervention by the bloc. With consideration on TikTok’s rising pile of U.S. legal woes, the announcement went principally unnoticed when it occurred late native time Wednesday.
TikTok’s transfer got here simply two days after the EU opened an investigation into a “task and reward” mechanism on the TikTok Lite app, citing considerations over an addictive design that might pose a psychological well being threat for younger folks. The characteristic permits customers to earn factors for doing issues like watching and liking TikTok movies. ByteDance, TikTok’s mum or dad, launched this model of TikTok Lite in France and Spain earlier this month.
Beneath the EU’s rebooted on-line governance and content material moderation rulebook, the Digital Services Act (DSA), TikTok has a authorized obligation to mitigate systemic dangers in areas like little one security and psychological well being. But it failed to supply a threat evaluation report on the characteristic when the bloc’s enforcers got here knocking.
It is a huge deal, as the corporate might face giant penalties beneath the DSA — of as much as 6% of its world annual turnover — if it’s discovered to have damaged the EU’s guidelines.
In a press release posted on X yesterday, TikTok claimed it’s “voluntarily suspending” the rewards characteristic within the area to handle considerations. Nevertheless, on Monday, the Fee signaled it was getting ready to power TikTok’s hand, saying it was minded to make use of interim measures powers contained within the DSA to shut down the app whereas it conducts an investigation into the characteristic.
The EU gave TikTok two days to offer arguments in opposition to an enforced shutdown. Within the occasion, TikTok opted to preempt enforcement by asserting a “voluntary” suspension.
The event underlines how even the specter of interim enforcement can pack a punch that forces platform giants to rethink. (We’ve seen this form of factor earlier than in relation to related powers contained within the bloc’s Basic Information Safety Regulation, for instance — reminiscent of a choice by Google back in 2019 to halt human evaluation of audio snippets captured by its voice AI after a knowledge safety authority had knowledgeable Google of an intention to make use of an urgency continuing to order it to cease processing the information.)
This acquainted disaster PR tactic goals to get forward of the destructive publicity related to an enforced shutdown by taking motion forward of a proper order.
Nonetheless, the EU is taking the win: Responding to TikTok’s announcement with a counter-post on X, the bloc’s internal-market-commissioner-cum-internet-sheriff, Thierry Breton, warned: “Our kids aren’t guinea pigs for social media.”
Breton went on to put in writing that he “takes notice” of TikTok’s suspension of the reward program for the Lite app within the EU, including: “The instances in opposition to TikTok on the danger of addictiveness of the platform proceed.”
TikTok was contacted for affirmation on the standing of the TikTok Lite app in France and Spain. Because the title suggests, TikTok Lite is an alternate TikTok app for customers who’ve older telephones or who principally hook up with 2G or 3G networks.
The EU has two DSA probes open on TikTok: The primary, introduced again in February, is wanting right into a broad sweep of suspected noncompliance in areas reminiscent of addictive design, little one safety, advertisements transparency and knowledge entry for researchers. The second, announced earlier this week, is concentrated on TikTok Lite.
Nonetheless, Elon Musk-owned X was the primary very giant on-line platform to go beneath DSA investigation back in December, just some months after the late August compliance deadline had kicked in. That investigation additionally stays ongoing.
