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TikTok stand at the Gamescom games fair: the app is popular with children and young people
Photo: Martin Meissner / AP
"With an audience you have greater responsibility," emphasizes Thierry Breton.
In a conversation with Shou Zi Chew, the head of the popular video app TikTok, the EU Commissioner threatened far-reaching sanctions in the event that TikTok does not comply with European rules in the future.
After the conversation with Chew, Breton said it was unacceptable that users could access dangerous and sometimes even life-threatening content via seemingly funny and harmless features within a few seconds.
He is also concerned about the allegations against TikTok that journalists are spied on and that personal data is transferred to locations outside of Europe.
"I sent a very clear signal to TikTok's CEO Shou Zi Chew that there is a need to step up our efforts to comply with EU legislation on data protection, copyright and online platforms," Breton said.
This applies in particular to the new EU law on digital services (Digital Services Act, DSA), which will apply to large platforms from September 1st of this year.
More than just a conversation
"We will not hesitate to decide on all possible sanctions if checks do not show full compliance," added the EU Commissioner for Internal Market and Services.
The new EU law also allows services in the EU to be banned in the event of repeated serious violations that endanger the life or safety of people.
A week and a half ago, the TikTok boss met in Brussels with EU Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager, Interior Commissioner Ylva Johansson and EU Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders, who also demanded increased efforts from Shou Zi Chew.
The TikTok platform, which belongs to the Chinese ByteDance group, has long been criticized for, among other things, the sometimes potentially life-threatening “challenges” that are circulating in the app, i.e. hands-on activities.
Data security is also a major issue.
There are fears in the West, for example, that the Chinese state could gain access to TikTok data.
TikTok dismisses such concerns as unfounded.
In the USA, the app is now banned on government employees' work phones, and more and more US states have decided to take similar measures.
tmk/dpa
