The free market is an illusion. Presidents of the world’s superpowers now feel free to intervene in seemingly minor issues. Everything is covered in thick layers of pathetic wording about state interest and the ‘protect the children’ narrative.
U.S. President Joe Biden has expressed his willingness to sign a bill authorizing the forced sale of the video app TikTok by its Chinese owner, ByteDance. Biden stated, “If they take it, I will sign it,” referring to the House of Representatives, which is set to vote on the proposed law next week.
If the legislation is approved, ByteDance will be given a six-month window to divest TikTok. Failure to comply with the divestment could result in a ban on the app in the United States, where approximately 170 million users are active.
Former President Donald Trump, now a Republican presidential candidate, has voiced criticism of the proposed action. Trump believes that a ban on TikTok would benefit the social media platform Facebook, and he opposes such a scenario. Trump’s dissatisfaction with Facebook’s parent company, Meta, also plays a role, as Meta had previously restricted Trump’s access to his accounts. Notably, Trump attempted to ban TikTok in 2020 during his presidency, but the move was halted by a judge.
Concerns in the U.S. and other countries revolve around the potential misuse of TikTok by Chinese authorities to access user data. As a precaution, officials in the U.S. and the European Commission have been advised against using TikTok on their work phones.
The European Commission has initiated a formal investigation into TikTok, citing potential violations of the Digital Service Act (DSA). The scrutiny arises, in part, from a transparency report issued by TikTok in September. The DSA mandates that major platforms operating in the EU publish such reports every six months, providing insights into their moderation practices.
The investigation centers on the design of TikTok, with a particular focus on its algorithm. Concerns have been raised that the algorithm may have an addictive effect, leading users into a “rabbit hole.” This means that individuals expressing interest in specific topics, such as mental health issues or conspiracy theories, could be exposed to an increasing number of related videos, potentially contributing to radicalization.
Furthermore, the Commission questions the effectiveness of TikTok’s measures to protect young users from inappropriate content, including age verification. Privacy and safety concerns regarding minors are also at the forefront of the inquiry.
Under the DSA guidelines, platforms like TikTok are required to place their advertisements in a easily searchable database. The Commission alleges that TikTok has not fully complied with this requirement. Additionally, suspicions linger that TikTok restricts researchers’ access to their data.
The European Commission has not disclosed a specific deadline for concluding the investigation. If it is determined that TikTok has violated one or more DSA obligations, the platform could face fines of up to 6 percent of its worldwide turnover.
