Social media can be fun. It’s great for watching funny videos, videos on cooking, health tips, and more. But it can be a dangerous place, especially for minors, who might be preyed upon by malicious individuals or organizations. That’s why many governments are insisting that these platforms include safety measures. However, it seems that the EU isn’t satisfied with the safety measures TikTok has in place.
EU not happy with TikTok safety measures for minors
According to the European Commission’s preliminary findings, they aren’t happy with TikTok’s efforts. The EU claims that TikTok hasn’t done enough in terms of safety features for protecting its minors.
For starters, they point at TikTok’s settings that allow minors to set their profile to “public.” The EU believes that this poses a potential threat. “This exposure could result in unwanted contact from potential perpetrators and a risk that content can be used for cyberbullying. This feature potentially gives strangers a window into a child’s life. In addition, since what minors publish may stay online forever and follow them into adulthood, the feature comes with risks of potentially life-long consequences.”
Also, they found that even if the minor has their profile set to “private,” their profiles can still be easily discovered. They can be found in the “following” or “followers” lists of other users. Plus, their profile photo remains visible to anyone, even those without a TikTok account. Ultimately, the EU believes that this is a breach of the region’s Digital Services Act.
So, what’s next?
So far, it doesn’t look like TikTok will be facing a fine. The company will be given the opportunity to examine the Commission’s investigation and respond to them. However, even then, it doesn’t mean TikTok is completely off the hook. The report claims that if the Commission’s views are confirmed, it may issue a non-compliance decision.
This means that there is a chance a fine could be triggered. It is unclear how much TikTok could be fined, but based on the EU’s laws, it will not exceed 6% of the company’s global turnover. But even then, for a company like TikTok, 6% is huge and we could be looking at millions.
It wasn’t too long ago that the EU hit Google with a fine close to $1 billion, so it is clear they have no issue going after tech companies that violate their rules.
The post EU Says TikTok’s Minor Safety Settings Break the Rules, Fine Could Follow appeared first on Android Headlines.
