TikTok could face EU fines and a suspension over sister app TikTok Lite
CNN
European officials are threatening TikTok with massive fines and a possible forced suspension this week of parts of a new spinoff app, launched this month, that regulators allege contains addictive features.
European officials are threatening TikTok with massive fines and a possible forced suspension this week of parts of a new spinoff app, launched this month, that regulators allege contains addictive features. The warnings target TikTok Lite, a less data-intensive version of TikTok’s main app which contains a feature that rewards users with cash for engaging with TikTok content and app features. EU officials fear the feature could be used to turn TikTok Lite users into addicts who can’t stop using the app and described it as an “experiment” on unwitting EU citizens in Spain and France where TikTok Lite has been made available. Monday’s announcement by the European Union marks the trading bloc’s second major inquiry into TikTok and focuses specifically on TikTok Lite and what officials said were risks of serious harms to users’ mental health. The move comes days after the US House of Representatives passed legislation that could ultimately ban TikTok from the United States over national security concerns. The US Senate is expected to take up that measure as early as this week, as part of a vote on foreign aid to Israel and Ukraine. The latest EU probe represents the first time Commission officials have flexed their power using certain new tools granted to them under Europe’s far-reaching new law regulating online platforms, the Digital Services Act (DSA).
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