MOSCOW, 9 Feb The European Commission will launch an investigation into the social network TikTok in the coming weeks under a new law on digital services due to concerns about the risk to minors , Bloomberg reports, citing sources.
«The European Commission will launch an investigation into TikTok under the new digital services law in the coming weeks due to concerns that changes the company has made under the new rules are insufficient to protect underage users,» the agency said in a statement, citing sources.
On October 19, 2023, the European Commission sent a request to TikTok demanding to report on the measures taken to combat disinformation and the spread of illegal content online. The request comes amid data from the European Commission showing an increase in the level of disinformation and calls for violence online due to the sharp escalation of conflict in the Middle East in October. Later, the EC reported that it had received responses from online platforms to requests related to the fight against disinformation online and was studying them.
The Digital Services Act came into force in the European Union on August 25, 2023. In accordance with this regulation, digital platforms are required to combat racism, the sale of drugs and counterfeit products, as well as the spread of child pornography and disinformation. Platforms will have to explain the operation of their algorithms, issue recommendations, and offer alternatives.
The list includes such platforms as Alibaba AliExpress, Amazon Store, Apple AppStore, Booking.com, Facebook*, Google Play, Google Maps, Google Shopping, Instagram*, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Snapchat, TikTok, Twitter, Wikipedia , YouTube and Zalando, as well as search engines Bing and Google Search.
* The activities of Meta (social networks Facebook and Instagram) are prohibited in Russia as extremist