EU Slams TikTok for Ad Transparency Failures: Busting EU Platform Ad Rules
Social media platform TikTok violates EU regulations concerning advertisements
In a sharp rebuke, the European Commission calls out TikTok for flouting EU advertising regulations. The platform's transparency issues stand in stark contrast to what EU law demands, as TikTok hasn't set up an exhaustive database for ad info like the law mandates, the commission declared last Thursday.
The information provided by TikTok is less than satisfactory—it fails to reveal who's behind the targeted personalized ads or who's funding them. Moreover, the search functionality in their ad archive falls short, making it less useful, according to the commission.
Digital Commissioner Henna Virkkunen states, "Citizens deserve to know the source of the messages they encounter."
To aid science, the public, and combat fraud and misinformation—especially during elections—a functional database is crucial, the commission highlights. Comprehensive data would help ferret out deceitful or fake ads and stop the spread of misinformation.
Last year, the EU commission initiated a probe into TikTok, suspecting it of not labeling videos from the Romanian far-right candidate Calin Georgescu as political ads during the presidential elections [1][3].
Sources:1. ntv.de, AFP2. Reuters3. Politico4. TechCrunch5. Wall Street Journal
In response to TikTok's transparency issues, the European Commission emphasizes the need for a community policy that includes an exhaustive database for advertisement information, as required by EU law. To prevent fraud, misinformation, and ensure accountability, it is crucial to employ technology in social-media platforms like TikTok, especially during elections, for entertainment purposes, and to facilitate scientific research.
