TikTok faces threat of hefty fine as EU opens formal investigation over potential breach of Digital Services Act

Authorities suspect TikTok may have breached its obligations to protect children through, for example, implementing addictive app designs

TikTok’s owner, Beijing-based ByteDance, could face fines of up to 6 per cent of its global turnover if the popular platform is found guilty of breaching EU rules

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The European Union has opened a formal investigation into TikTok over child protection concerns. Photo: Reuters

Published: 11:10am, 20 Feb 2024Updated: 2:20pm, 20 Feb 2024

The European Union (EU) will investigate whether ByteDance-owned TikTok breached online content rules aimed at protecting children and ensuring transparent advertising, an official said on Monday, putting the social media platform at risk of a hefty fine.

EU industry chief Thierry Breton said he took the decision after analysing the short video app’s risk assessment report and its replies to requests for information.

“Today we open an investigation into TikTok over suspected breach of transparency & obligations to protect minors: addictive design & screen time limits, rabbit hole effect, age verification, default privacy settings,” Breton said on X.

The EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA), which applies to all online platforms since February 17, requires in particular very large online platforms and search engines to do more to tackle illegal online content and risks to public security.

An office building of China-based ByteDance in Singapore. Photo: EPA-EFE

TikTok’s owner, Beijing-based ByteDance, could face fines of up to 6 per cent of its global turnover if the popular short video platform is found guilty of breaching DSA rules.