Brussels (Brussels Morning) The European Consumer Organisation (BEUC) has accused the Chinese TikTok social media platform of breaching users’ rights, according to BBC reporting on Tuesday.
The BEUC claims TikTok “falls foul of multiple breaches of EU consumer rights” and says the violations are “on a massive scale.”
In addition, the organisation accuses TikTok of failing to protect children from inappropriate content, and notes that it has filed a complaint to this effect with the relevant EU authorities.
TikTok says it has requested a meeting with the organisation in order to discuss its concerns.
The complaint
The BEUC stressed that TikTok’s terms of service “are unclear, ambiguous and favour TikTok to the detriment of its users.” It goes on to add that “its copyright terms are equally unfair as they give TikTok an irrevocable right to use, distribute and reproduce the videos published by users, without remuneration.”
BEUC director general Monique Goyens called on relevant authorities to “take swift action” against TikTok, stressing that “children love TikTok but the company fails to keep them protected.”
She insists that the authorities must take action to ensure that “TikTok is a place where consumers, especially children, can enjoy themselves without being deprived of their rights.”
An unnamed spokesman for TikTok pointed out that the social media platform took numerous steps to protect its users, especially its youngest users.
“Keeping our community safe, especially our younger users, and complying with the laws where we operate are responsibilities we take incredibly seriously,” the spokesman stressed while announcing further steps aimed at improving user protection.
TikTok has made all accounts of users under age 16 private by default and has “developed an in-app summary of our privacy policy with vocabulary and a tone of voice that makes it easier for teens to understand our approach to privacy,” the platform’s spokesman concluded.
Following a series of recent incidents, TikTok has been facing criticism over its safety and privacy policies.