Italy’s competition authority has fined TikTok €10 million (US$11 million) for failing to control the spread of content that it said threatened the safety of minors and other vulnerable people.
The antitrust agency, AGCM, said Thursday that TikTok, which is owned by China’s ByteDance, had failed to take into account the specific vulnerabilities of adolescents using its platform, such as a tendency toward copying group behaviours.
The watchdog announced an investigation into TikTok’s content moderation practices last March.
In a statement Thursday, it said the video-sharing platform “has not taken adequate measures to avoid the spread of (harmful) content,” adding that its algorithms meant such content could be “systematically re-proposed to users.”
An example of harmful content mentioned by the AGCM is what is known as the “French scar” trend, which involved TikTok users pinching their own cheeks to leave a lasting bruise.
A TikTok spokesperson told CNN that it disagreed with the AGCM’s decision. “The so-called ‘French scar’ content averaged just 100 daily searches in Italy prior to the AGCM’s announcement last year, and we long ago restricted visibility of this content to (under-18s).”
TikTok has been in the crosshairs of European regulators for some time, and has already faced fines totalling hundreds of millions of dollars.
The Irish Data Protection Commission, which oversees TikTok’s activities across the European Union, ordered the platform in September to pay a €345 million (US$376 million) fine, arguing that it failed to protect children. The regulator found that newly created profiles of children were set to public by default, meaning anybody on the internet could view them.
Last month, the EU launched a formal investigation into the platform to determine whether it is doing enough to protect minors, saying that TikTok’s age verification tools — aimed at preventing children from accessing inappropriate content — “may not be reasonable, proportionate and effective.”
This week has also been difficult for TikTok. On Wednesday, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill that could ban the platform in the country.
The legislation would shut out TikTok from U.S. app stores unless the platform — used by roughly 170 million Americans — is spun off from ByteDance and sold to a U.S. company.
Lawmakers supportive of the bill have argued that TikTok poses a national security threat because the Chinese government could compel ByteDance to hand over data on TikTok users in the United States.
Wang Wenbin, a spokesperson for China’s foreign ministry, described the potential ban as an “act of bullying.”
Another Chinese-owned platform is also under scrutiny in Europe. On Thursday, the EU’s executive arm said it had opened a formal probe into AliExpress.
The European Commission will investigate whether the online marketplace, owned by Alibaba (BABA), has broken a string of its rules, including those related to the spread of illegal content, minors’ access to pornographic material and the sale of fake food and medications.
Angelica Chiara Yazbeck contributed reporting.
An election-year roast of U.S. President Joe Biden before journalists, celebrities and politicians at the annual White House correspondents' dinner Saturday.
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Iraqi authorities on Saturday were investigating the killing of a well-known social media influencer, who was shot by an armed motorcyclist in front of her home in central Baghdad.
As students protesting the Israel-Hamas war at universities across U.S. dug in Saturday and vowed to keep their demonstrations going, some universities shut down encampments after reports of antisemitic activity among the protesters.
The 75-year-old British monarch will slowly ease back into public life after a three-month break to focus on his treatment and recuperation after he was diagnosed with an undisclosed type of cancer.
The first criminal prosecution of a former president began in earnest with opening statements and testimony in a lower Manhattan courtroom. But the action quickly spread to involve more than half a dozen cases in four states and the nation's capital. Twice during the week, lawyers for Trump were simultaneously appearing in different courtrooms.
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Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Ottawa has plans to finally stop blocking Canadian development aid to Afghanistan this year.
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State-sponsored actors targeted security devices used by governments around the world, according to technology firm Cisco Systems, which said the network devices are coveted intrusion points by spies.
TikTok is in the crosshairs of authorities in the U.S., where a new law threatens a nationwide ban unless its China-based parent ByteDance divests. Here are the places that have partial or total bans on TikTok.
The Hubble Space Telescope has captured a stunning new image of the glowing gas ejected from a dying star, which in this case happens to resemble a 'cosmic dumbbell.'
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Take an illustrated look back at the culinary history of Winnipeg.
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During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Mookie Betts went 3 for 5, including a triple and an RBI single, as the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Toronto Blue Jays 4-2 on Saturday.
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On Saturday, in a display of cross-cultural solidarity, members of the Indigenous and Palestinian communities gathered in Saskatoon for an event steeped in prayer and dance.
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A former graduate of Holy Names Catholic High School in Windsor will soon be moving to New York after being selected during the 2024 NFL Draft.
Playing bingo in April made a local resident $100,000 richer -- and will keep him in his home.
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The lawyer for a residential school survivor leading a proposed class-action defamation lawsuit against the Catholic Church over residential schools says the court action is a last resort.
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The Brooks Bandits got down to business Friday, defeating the Okotoks Oilers 8-2.
An Alberta political scientist said the NDP leadership hopefuls remained fairly even following the first of the party’s debates.
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St. Joseph’s General Hospital Elliot Lake says it is moving towards “normalcy” by transitioning to a mask-friendly policy.
Environment Canada issued a severe thunderstorm watch for several communities in northeastern Ontario on Saturday afternoon – primarily the Greater Sudbury area and West Nipissing.
About 100 delegates from around the province travelled to Timmins, Ont., for its annual general meeting and convention at Cedar Meadows Resort and Spa.
Legendary sportscaster Bob Cole was a Newfoundlander through and through, and his daughter says his connection to the province was 'everything' to him.
Cenovus Energy has been ordered to pay a $2.5-million fine for its role in the largest offshore oil spill ever recorded in Newfoundland and Labrador.
As more Canadians find themselves struggling to afford or find housing, the country's smallest province is the only one that can point to legislation recognizing housing as a human right.
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