– Italy’s AGCM fined TikTok €10 million following an investigation into safety concerns related to the “French scar” challenge
– The AGCM criticized TikTok for failing to monitor content that threatens the safety of minors and vulnerable individuals
– TikTok disputes the penalty and has made changes to restrict controversial content and offer non-profiling based feeds, although these feeds are off by default
The AGCM in Italy has fined TikTok €10 million due to safety concerns surrounding algorithmic content on the platform. The investigation was triggered by a challenge that involved users pinching their skin to create marks on their faces. The authority found that TikTok failed to monitor and prevent the spread of potentially harmful content, especially to minors and vulnerable individuals, and did not fully comply with its own guidelines. The AGCM criticized TikTok’s recommendation system for promoting dangerous content in order to increase user engagement and ad revenue.
TikTok argues that the safety risks posed by the algorithmic content were related to a single controversial challenge that had limited visibility among users. The European Commission is overseeing TikTok’s compliance with algorithm accountability provisions under the Digital Services Act, with penalties for non-compliance potentially reaching up to 6% of global annual turnover. The platform offers non-profiling based feeds as a result of the DSA, but these are off by default, meaning users are still subject to AI-based tracking and profiling.
In addition to the enforcement in Italy, TikTok faces scrutiny from the EU over addictive design, harmful content, and the protection of minors. The platform has encountered previous issues with child safety and data protection, such as fines and interventions by regulatory authorities. There are also concerns in the US about TikTok’s ties to its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, with lawmakers proposing a ban to prevent potential national security risks associated with tracking and profiling users.