The social network TikTok, accused by the European Consumers' Organization (BEUC) of "
not protecting children against disguised advertising and inappropriate content
", has pledged to comply with European Union rules, has announced Tuesday the European Commission.
The Commission and representatives of the Member States had in May 2021 engaged in a "
dialogue
" with this video-sharing platform, owned by the Chinese internet giant ByteDance and very popular with children and adolescents, following the complaint of the BEUC.
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"
The series of issues have been reviewed, and TikTok is committed to changing its practices
," the EU executive said in a statement.
"
Thanks to our dialogue, consumers will be able to detect all types of advertising to which they are exposed when using this platform
", declared the European Commissioner for Justice Didier Reynders, welcoming "
TikTok's desire to make more transparent manner in which it carries out its economic activity
”.
For its part, the platform assured that it “
will continue to strive to improve in order to offer the best possible TikTok experience to (its) community
”.
Concerns around profiling and targeting of children
Users can now more easily report advertisements and offers that may entice children to purchase goods or services.
They are invited to activate a button to signal that they publish a video within the framework of a commercial partnership with a mark.
For users with more than 10,000 subscribers, the videos are reviewed by TikTok “
to ensure that the content is appropriate
”, details the European executive.
"
The promotion of inappropriate products and services, such as alcohol, get-rich-quick schemes and cigarettes
" is prohibited, the Commission says.
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The terms of purchase and use of TikTok coins, the virtual currency of this platform, are clarified, as well as the way of obtaining rewards from TikTok and sending gifts.
BEUC, which brings together consumer organizations from 32 countries including UFC Que Choisir (France) and Test Achats (Belgium), judged that “
major questions were still unresolved
”.
“
We are particularly concerned that the profiling and targeting of children with personalized ads will not be stopped by TikTok
,” BEUC Deputy Director General Ursula Pachl said.
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