TikTok ban in Europe less likely as it permanently withdraws rewards program

The prospect of a TikTok ban in Europe now appears somewhat less likely, after developer Bytedance agreed to permanently withdraw its illegal rewards program …

The short-form video streaming app faces potential bans in both Europe and the US.

TikTok ban in Europe less likely, but still possible

In Europe, it faced charges of breaching child protection laws by deliberately seeking to make its app addictive to children, and abusing its dominant market position.

One tactic considered illegal was the TikTok Lite rewards program, which incentivized children to watch more more videos. Reuters reports that the company has now agreed to permanently withdraw this scheme.

The EU in April demanded an immediate risk assessment from TikTok on the app, shortly after it was launched in France and Spain, because of concerns about its potential impact on children and users’ mental health […]

The EU’s executive branch said TikTok had now made legally binding commitments to withdraw the rewards programme from the EU and to not launch any other programme that would circumvent that decision.

However, the app is still under investigation for other potential breaches of the law. These enquiries relate to child protection on content, transparency in advertising, and competition law.

US TikTok ban still possible too

Back in March, the House voted overwhelmingly to either ban TikTok from the US, or to force the sale of the app to an American-owned company. 

TikTok took the US government to court, arguing that the threatened ban would be unconstitutional, interfering with a first amendment right to free speech. That case has been fast-tracked, and will be heard in September.

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