EU charges TikTok over algorithm risks under digital services rules

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EU charges TikTok algorithm risks

Highlights

European Commission finds TikTok's recommender system breaches content rules by pushing users into repeated streams, risking mental health harm, especially for minors.
TikTok faces potential fines of up to 6% of ByteDance's global annual turnover next year if platform design changes are not implemented per the Digital Services Act.
EU expands scrutiny over algorithm-driven harms with ongoing investigations into TikTok and similar cases targeting Meta Platforms' Facebook and Instagram recommendation systems.

Commission findings target TikTok's recommendation design

As reported by CNBC, citing the European Commission, the bloc's tech regulator issued preliminary findings on Friday accusing TikTok of breaching online content rules because its recommender system can draw users into a repeated stream of similar videos, a phenomenon described as a "rabbit hole" effect.

The Commission said TikTok did not put in place proportionate, reasonable and effective mitigation measures to address the risks tied to that design. It said endless and repeated exposure to videos about sadness, isolation or body image can harm users' mental health.

EU tech chief Henna Virkkunen said in a statement that each time a user scrolls or likes a video on TikTok, the algorithm serves more of the same, pushing users into loops that are difficult to exit. She said the preliminary findings show TikTok needs to intensify efforts to protect users' well-being, including that of minors.

The Commission said TikTok should change the design of its "For You" feed algorithm, rely more heavily on users' explicit preferences, improve the accessibility and usability of user controls, and regularly test its algorithm, among other measures.

Broader EU pressure on platform safety grows

The case falls under the EU's Digital Services Act, which requires large online platforms to do more to tackle harmful and illegal content. If TikTok fails to resolve the issue, ByteDance risks a fine next year of up to 6% of its global annual turnover.

The charges add to a broader EU investigation into TikTok. In February, EU regulators also issued charges over what they said were addictive platform designs, insufficient protections for children and obstacles for researchers seeking access to public data, allegations TikTok said at the time were "categorically false" and would be challenged.

Pressure on social media companies to adjust their algorithms is increasing globally as governments weigh whether platforms are contributing to a mental health crisis among children. The European Commission is also separately investigating similar rabbit hole effects linked to recommendation systems on Meta Platforms' Facebook and Instagram.

Our earlier coverage of ByteDance’s AI safety push explained how the company’s Seed research unit set up a dedicated Alignment & Preparedness team and launched a global hiring drive to strengthen testing, oversight and risk preparedness for increasingly capable AI models. We noted that the new group is expected to focus on automated vulnerability testing, monitoring and explaining model behavior, and planning for emerging risks as autonomy and deployment scale increase.

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