Tikok in the EU under pressure: Advertising law violates the obligation to transparency!

Tikok in the EU under pressure: Advertising law violates the obligation to transparency!

Vienna, Österreich - The European Commission has initiated formal procedures against the TikTok platform, which could violate the regulations of the Digital Services Act (DSA). The DSA, which has been in the EU since February 17, 2024, obliges digital service providers to make more transparency and protection for consumer rights. A central concern of the complaint is the defective provision of information about advertisements by Tikkok, which do not meet the necessary standards in order to create a trustworthy digital space. This reports vienna.at .

First assessments of the Commission indicate that Tikkok violates several DSA provisions. In particular, there is a lack of a public ad archive that is important for research and civil society in order to identify fraudulent advertising and information operations. There is currently no comprehensive search function in the advertising archive, which significantly limits its benefits. Additional problems concern the protection of minors and the transparency in advertising.

Investigations and possible consequences

The analysis of the Tikok risk overlock, which was submitted in September 2023, found that other large platforms such as X (formerly Twitter) and Meta (Facebook, Instagram) are similarly suspected of not fulfilling DSA specifications. The possible fine for TikKok could be up to six percent of the global annual turnover, which underlines the seriousness of the Situation.

In addition to the findings on advertising, risk management with regard to addictive designs and harmful content is also examined. The Commission has included TikK's reactions to formal information requirements in its investigation, whereby it is now about evaluating the practices on the platform. Consumer protection also plays a central role here.

The role of the digital service act

The DSA aims to create clear rules for the behavior of digital service providers. One central principle is that the same laws should apply online as offline. Companies are obliged to ensure a safe online environment and pay attention to consumer rights. Regulated services include not only social networks, but also e-commerce and search engines. In addition, providers of online services must provide a central contact point and present their criteria in an understandable way. This reports Consumer Center .

The Commission will monitor compliance with the regulations, especially in large online platforms, while smaller companies will only fall under the new regulations from February 24, 2024. In Germany, the Federal Network Agency will serve as a central point of contact for the enforcement of the DSA, whereby consumer advice centers as "Trusted Flagger" can also work more efficiently.