TikTok said Wednesday it would suspend a controversial program in the European Union that has prompted growing alarm among EU regulators.
TikTok said Wednesday it would suspend a controversial program in the European Union that has prompted growing alarm among EU regulators. The program at issue appears within TikTok Lite, a less data-intensive version of TikTok’s main app, and which contains a feature that rewards users with cash for engaging with TikTok content and app features.
TikTok said it was “voluntarily” suspending the rewards program after the European Commission announced Monday it could impose fines and a mandatory suspension over concerns that the feature may drive addiction by encouraging users to interact with the platform more. “TikTok always seeks to engage constructively with the EU Commission and other regulators,” TikTok said in a post on X. “We are therefore voluntarily suspending the rewards functions in TikTok Lite while we address the concerns that they have raised.” The EU warnings to TikTok reflected an exercise of new oversight powers granted by the Digital Services Act, the trading bloc’s recently enacted law governing online platforms. In opening a probe into TikTok Lite earlier this week, the European Commission said that TikTok could be fined for failing to provide information it owes to the Commission about the app, including a risk assessment report and a separate report outlining steps the company has taken to minimize those risks. Failure to hand over the risk assessment and risk mitigation report could result in fines of up to 1% of TikTok’s global annual revenue and “periodic penalties” of up to 5% of TikTok’s average daily revenue, the Commission said previously. TikTok also faces further, additional fines of up to 6% of its global annual revenue if the TikTok Lite feature is determined to be in violation of the DSA. TikTok’s move to suspend TikTok Lite’s reward features in Europe, meanwhile, comes as it faces its biggest threat yet to its United States operations. President Joe Biden on Wednesday signed a bill that could lead to a nationwide TikTok ban, after Congress passed the bill earlier this week as part of a wide-ranging foreign aid package meant to support Israel and Ukraine. Under what is now US law, TikTok is forced to find a new owner within months or be banned from the United States entirely.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
First Alert Weather Day declared for Wednesday and Wednesday nightVery heavy rain, strong to severe storms and gusty winds are expected to impact the area.
Read more »
European Union questions TikTok on new app that pays users for watchingEuropean Union regulators are seeking details from TikTok on a new app from the video sharing platform that pays users to watch videos. The European Commission said Wednesday it sent TikTok a “request for information” on the TikTok Lite app that has been quietly released in France and Spain.
Read more »
EU threatens to suspend TikTok Lite’s money-for-views program over addiction fearsThe European Union on Monday opened proceedings against ByteDance's TikTok and threatened to suspend its newly launched TikTok Lite rewards program.
Read more »
UE exige más información sobre nueva app TikTok LiteLa Unión Europea exigió el lunes a TikTok que proporcione más información sobre una nueva aplicación que paga a los usuarios por ver vídeos y advirtió que podría ordenar a la plataforma que suspenda las funciones adictivas que suponen un riesgo para los niños.
Read more »
The EU opens an investigation into TikTok Lite, citing addiction concernsLawrence is a contributing reporter at Engadget, specializing in our AI overlords, musical doodads and, of course, garden variety gaming and tech. To that end, Lawrence once lost badly in multiplayer Mario to Nintendo’s own Shigeru Miyamoto, who laughed gleefully as he threw him down a pit.
Read more »
TikTok Lite axes ‘addictive as cigarettes’ reward-to-watch feature under the EU’s watchful eyeWill Shanklin has been writing about gadgets, tech and their impact on humanity since 2011. Before joining Engadget, he spent five years creating and leading the mobile technology section for New Atlas. His work has also appeared on SlashGear, TechRadar, Digital Trends, AppleInsider, Android Central, HuffPost and others.
Read more »