It’s not yet an ultimatum, but it looks like it. The social network TikTok will have to provide “before the end of the year” an “inventory” on its compliance with European rules for the protection of personal data, announced this Wednesday, July 12 the Minister Delegate for Digital, Jean- Noel Barret. The latter undertook to come and present the response obtained within the same period before the Senate inquiry committee, which has just submitted its report on the operation and “strategy of influence” of the original application. Chinese.
“TikTok violates European rules on the protection of personal data. TikTok, with its algorithms, leads to the confinement and isolation of its users, in particular children”, underlined Jean-Noël Barrot, arrested in the hemicycle by the vice-president of the commission, André Gattolin. “Because of its 1.7 billion downloads and its ties to China, TikTok raises geopolitical questions that we must be vigilant about,” added the minister.
“As of next August 25”, the date of entry into force of the European regulation on digital services, “TikTok will, like all major platforms, have to submit to the obligations of transparency, audit of algorithms, taking into account the risks that these platforms pose a threat to the health of their users as well as to public safety”, concluded Jean-Noël Barrot.
An ultimatum before the end of the year
In its report presented last Thursday, the Senate commission of inquiry had called on the government to suspend the application of short videos acclaimed by young people, if it does not clarify before January 1, 2024 the nature of its links with the Chinese authorities and does not implement “effective” moderation and “effective age control”.
The videos conveyed by the application, owned by the company ByteDance, “could be biased in favor of Chinese authorities anxious to fuel unrest likely to weaken the image of democracy”, established the commission, while the social networks are accused of having participated in the runaway recent urban violence in France.
“We strongly disagree with the conclusions of this report, which does not accurately reflect the facts,” the social network replied to AFP. The network, used by around 150 million Americans and the same number of Europeans each month, claims “total separation” from its entities in China but faces growing limitations in the West, including over privacy fears. cybersecurity.