TikTok's EU Woes: Transparency Troubles Unveiled
Social media platform TikTok violates EU regulations concerning advertisements
Let's cut to the chase - TikTok's flunking Europe's advertising transparency rules, according to the EU Commission's recent evaluation. The video-sharing juggernaut's approach to setting up a detailed database of ads falls short of EU law's requirements, as stated on Thursday.
The information TikTok is disclosing is miserably thin. For instance, there's no clue regarding who's receiving personalized advertisements or who's financing those ads. The search function in their ad archive is as helpful as a pair of blinkers, undermining its effectiveness, according to the commission.
European Digital Commissioner Henna Virkkunen summed it up: "People deserve to know the puppet-masters behind the messages they're being fed."
The EU Commission is firm on this - a functional database is indispensable, vital for both academia and the public. Comprehensive data could help expose shady or counterfeit ads and misinformation, particularly during election seasons.
Last year, the EU Commission launched an investigation into TikTok during Romania's presidential elections' first round, accusing the platform of failing to label videos from far-right candidate Calin Georgescu as political ads.
Source: ntv.de, AFP
Bit More Info:
- TikTok's troubles center on the Digital Services Act (DSA) regulations, demanding advertising transparency.
- Concerns center around insufficient details about ad content, targeted demographics, and funding sources.
- The EU Commission stresses that a transparent ad repository is critical for scrutinizing advertising content, notably in contexts like elections or disinformation campaigns.
[1] EU Commission Evaluation: TikTok Fails to Meet DSA Transparency Standards[2] TikTok Accused of Failing to Label Political Ads - EU Investigation[3] TikTok's Advertising Practices Under Scrutiny: EU's Digital Services Act and the Need for Transparency[4] How the EU Digital Services Act is Changing the Advertising Landscape: TikTok as a Case Study
- The European Union's evaluation of TikTok's advertising practices, as outlined in the Digital Services Act (DSA) regulations, has revealed that the platform's employment of technology for creating an ad database falls short of EU law requirements, specifically in terms of transparency and detail.
- In light of the ongoing political debates and general-news discussions regarding TikTok's ad transparency, there has been a call for improved community policy and employment policy, with a focus on implementing technology that ensures ad content, targeted demographics, and funding sources are disclosed accurately, thereby promoting accountability and combating misinformation.
