Will TikTok be banned in the EU and Hungary?
The days of TikTok may be numbered within the European Union. An open letter to EU resolution makers calls for the EU to step up regulation of Social Media before it gets too late.
Open letter to the EU
The Consumer Choice Center said in a Tuesday position paper to EU policymakers that it was time for the EU to step up action on the TikTok Social Media platform before it got too late.
European Commission Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton held a video call with Sou Ce Chu, CEO of the Chinese mini video-sharing platform. During the meeting, Breton underlined that TikTok is a Social Media aimed at a teenage audience. “With a younger audience comes more responsibility.”
Brenton also stressed that TikTok reaches millions of young people in Europe. For this reason, it must comply with EU legislation. The politician asked the TikTok CEO to present as soon as possible not only the efforts but also the results.
Is it really dangerous?
The meeting between Sou Ce Tsu and Brenton was preceded by a face-to-face meeting in Brussels, where the Chinese CEO had several discussions about the future of TikTok in Europe. European Commission Vice-President Vera Jourova told during the meeting that the safety of European users’ data should be of utmost priority. So personal information will not be exposed to illegal access by authorities in a third country, writes blikk.hu.
French President Emmanuel Macron added that Tiktok appeared deceptively innocent, but was addictive and spread Russian disinformation.
Two investigations are currently underway into the Social Media platform. The first concerns the transfer of European users’ data to China and the second concerns the protection of children’s privacy.
Hungarian concerns
Media1 reports that the Hungarian media authority, the National Media and Infocommunications Authority, is also concerned that many Hungarian children are using TikTok. According to the NMHH, it would be better if young people used more controlled media.
The Consumer Choice Center is a respected international free market lobby organisation. It has a government affairs Hungarian manager in Zoltán Kész. The organisation believes that the EU should follow US practice. This would counteract and curb the influence of TikTok in state institutions.
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Source: blikk.hu, media1, Consumer Choice Center