European consumer groups file complaint on TikTok – POLITICO
European consumer groups file complaint on TikTok
European consumer organization BEUC says the company breached consumer rights on a ‘massive scale.’
US-TIKTOK
European consumer organization BEUC argues TikTok breached consumer rights | Valerie Macon/AFP via Getty Images
BY MELISSA HEIKKILÄ
February 16, 2021 6:00 am
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European consumer organization BEUC has filed a complaint to the European Commission against TikTok, a Chinese short video sharing platform. National consumer organizations in European countries have also alerted their respective authorities, asking them to investigate the company.
Following a months-long investigation into TikTok, BEUC argues that the company has breached consumer rights on a "massive scale."
“In just a few years, TikTok has become one of the most popular social media apps with millions of users across Europe. But TikTok is letting its users down by breaching their rights on a massive scale. We have discovered a whole series of consumer rights infringements and therefore filed a complaint against TikTok," said Monique Goyens, BEUC's director general, in a statement.
The organization said that TikTok's terms of service are "unclear, ambiguous and favour TikTok to the detriment of its users," and the platform's copyright gives TikTok the right to use, distribute and reproduce users' videos without remuneration. Another problematic feature is a feature that allows users to buy virtual coins to give virtual gifts for other content creators on the platform. BEUC said that TikTok has the absolute right to change the exchange rate between coins and gifts, which it could skew to favor the company financially.
TikTok is especially popular among children and teenagers, and BEUC criticizes the platform for failing to protect them from hidden advertising and harmful content.
Finally, BEUC also complained about TikTok's data collection practices, which the consumer group said were unclear and potentially in breach of the GDPR. BEUC has brought its analysis to the attention of data protection authorities.
A spokesperson for TikTok said the company has contacted BEUC and asked for a meeting.
“Keeping our community safe, especially our younger users, and complying with the laws where we operate are responsibilities we take incredibly seriously,” the spokesperson said. “Every day we work hard to protect our community which is why we have taken a range of major steps, including making all accounts belonging to users under 16 private by default.
“We've also developed an in-app summary of our Privacy Policy with vocabulary and a tone of voice that makes it easier for teens to understand our approach to privacy,” the spokesperson continued.
TikTok has recently faced an investigation of its age-verification practices by the Italian data protection authority, and the app recently announced it is blocking Italian users pending confirmation of age from February 9.
European consumer organization BEUC says the company breached consumer rights on a ‘massive scale.’
US-TIKTOK
European consumer organization BEUC argues TikTok breached consumer rights | Valerie Macon/AFP via Getty Images
BY MELISSA HEIKKILÄ
February 16, 2021 6:00 am
Share on Facebook
Share on Twitter
Share on Linkedin
European consumer organization BEUC has filed a complaint to the European Commission against TikTok, a Chinese short video sharing platform. National consumer organizations in European countries have also alerted their respective authorities, asking them to investigate the company.
Following a months-long investigation into TikTok, BEUC argues that the company has breached consumer rights on a "massive scale."
“In just a few years, TikTok has become one of the most popular social media apps with millions of users across Europe. But TikTok is letting its users down by breaching their rights on a massive scale. We have discovered a whole series of consumer rights infringements and therefore filed a complaint against TikTok," said Monique Goyens, BEUC's director general, in a statement.
The organization said that TikTok's terms of service are "unclear, ambiguous and favour TikTok to the detriment of its users," and the platform's copyright gives TikTok the right to use, distribute and reproduce users' videos without remuneration. Another problematic feature is a feature that allows users to buy virtual coins to give virtual gifts for other content creators on the platform. BEUC said that TikTok has the absolute right to change the exchange rate between coins and gifts, which it could skew to favor the company financially.
TikTok is especially popular among children and teenagers, and BEUC criticizes the platform for failing to protect them from hidden advertising and harmful content.
Finally, BEUC also complained about TikTok's data collection practices, which the consumer group said were unclear and potentially in breach of the GDPR. BEUC has brought its analysis to the attention of data protection authorities.
A spokesperson for TikTok said the company has contacted BEUC and asked for a meeting.
“Keeping our community safe, especially our younger users, and complying with the laws where we operate are responsibilities we take incredibly seriously,” the spokesperson said. “Every day we work hard to protect our community which is why we have taken a range of major steps, including making all accounts belonging to users under 16 private by default.
“We've also developed an in-app summary of our Privacy Policy with vocabulary and a tone of voice that makes it easier for teens to understand our approach to privacy,” the spokesperson continued.
TikTok has recently faced an investigation of its age-verification practices by the Italian data protection authority, and the app recently announced it is blocking Italian users pending confirmation of age from February 9.
