Brussels threatens to fine TikTok for exposing minors to possible aggressors

BrusselsThe European Commission announced this Friday that it has "preliminary" indications that TikTok leaves minors unprotected, especially from potential aggressors. Thus, Brussels considers that it is violating the Digital Services Act (DSA) and threatens it with a millionaire fine if it does not take measures to increase the protection of the youngest users of the Chinese social platform.

Specifically, the EU executive denounces that the great Chinese technology allows all users, including minors, to keep their profile in "public" mode. That is, any person – even those who do not have a TikTok account – can access their content. "This exposure can lead to unwanted contact by potential aggressors and the risk that the content may be used for cyberbullying," says the European Commission's statement.

Furthermore, Brussels notes that it is easy to identify a minor who has a TikTok profile, even if they have it closed and not in "public" mode. The European Commission assures that they can be found without much complication in the "followers" and "following" lists of other accounts, and that the minor's profile picture on the social platform can be seen.

Therefore, the European Commission urges the Asian giant's company to increase the protection of minors using its social network and avoid exposure to risks, such as unwanted contact with potential aggressors or harassers. "According to European law, platforms accessible to minors must guarantee a high level of privacy, security, and protection in their service," adds the Community executive. Thus, Brussels asks TikTok to reform the account settings of minors so that only users they have accepted themselves can view their profiles, in order to prevent it from being accessible to a global audience.

If the Chinese company does not carry out the reforms requested by the European Commission, it faces a millionaire fine that could amount to up to 6% of TikTok's annual global turnover. It should be remembered that Brussels has already opened investigations and applied large economic sanctions to companies and social networks such as Google, Instagram, Facebook, and, among others, Snapchat.