TikTok: Three subsidiaries of the renowned social media platform TikTok have been fined a total of 10 million euros by Italy’s competition authority, Autorità per le Garanzie nelle Comunicazioni (AGCOM). The watchdog cites insufficient steps to prevent information that can endanger young or vulnerable users as the reason for the fine, as reported by Reuters.
Why Italy Agency Penalised Tiktok’s Subsidiaries
The Italian regulator also cited films showing children participating in an activity called the “French scar,” which is squeezing cheeks to leave a permanent bruise on the cheekbone. Unregulated dissemination of such videos has drawn the attention of Italian regulators towards the social media platform.
Tiktok’s ViewPoint
A representative for ByteDance’s short video platform TikTok disagreed with the ruling, pointing out that the site has already taken action to restrict the exposure of such videos to users under the age of 18. Nevertheless, the Italian communications regulator AGCOM ordered the removal of these videos from the network last month.
Italy’s Competition Watchdog Criticizes TikTok
The competition watchdog also criticized TikTok for its profiling algorithms, which do not effectively stop the dissemination of harmful information. It said that TikTok had given users a false sense of confidence about the platform’s security procedures by not completely adhering to its safety rules.
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