TikTok SAS, the French branch of the Chinese giant Bytedance, has decided to replace its president Zhao Tian with the American Adam Presser, recently appointed director of global operations for the social network, the company told AFP on Tuesday, August 29, confirming information from the Informé media.
According to a recent report by a French Senate commission of inquiry into TikTok, Chinese-born Zhao Tian, who acquired Canadian citizenship, is close to Bytedance founder Zhang Yiming. Representatives of TikTok had defended before French senators its lack of an operational role, but the report was concerned about the “potential control exerted on its action by the Chinese power”.
TikTok had already announced the upcoming appointment of a new president, European, but finally chose to install the American Adam Presser, who notably led the activities in China of the production company Warner Bros, confirmed a spokesperson. of the application to AFP.
Paris pressures
In July, the French Senate’s commission of inquiry responsible for studying the operation and “strategy of influence” of TikTok had threatened the application of a suspension in France and in the EU if it did not take measures to clarify its links with the Chinese authorities and did not put in place an “effective” moderation before January 1, 2024. The French Minister Delegate for Digital, Jean-Noël Barrot, had followed suit by asking the company for a “state of play” by the end of the year on its compliance with European rules for the protection of personal data.
Since August 25, TikTok has also been subject to enhanced obligations of transparency and the fight against illegal content, under the European Digital Services Act (DSA). To comply, TikTok has already announced the implementation of tools for researchers and regulators, a non-personalized news feed, the end of personalized advertisements for minors and a new option to report content.
The network, used by around 150 million Americans and 134 million Europeans each month, claims “total separation” from its entities in China, but faces growing limitations in the West, including over fears of cybersecurity.