It is anticipated that the European Digital Services Act will come into effect next spring, imposing new responsibilities on internet giants with the aim of providing additional security and privacy for European users. Changes are also expected for the video-sharing service “TikTok,” which has announced that users in Europe will be able to decide whether they want to receive personalized content.
TikTok Compliance with EU Digital Services Act
In compliance with the new law, “TikTok” users in Europe will be offered the ability to disable the algorithm that provides personalized content in streams such as “For You” and “Live.” By deactivating this algorithm, “TikTok” will display popular videos from both specific regions and around the world, rather than content based on user interests. As known, personalized content is offered by applications by tracking user actions, which, in turn, contradicts European views on user safety and privacy. Also on Aug 1, Meta announced consent based on European Union Law for targeted ads.
Another change that “TikTok” will implement under the new Digital Services Act is that European users aged 13 to 17 will no longer automatically receive personalized advertisements.
The company aims to implement the new changes by a specified deadline – August 28. It should be noted that “TikTok” is one of the 19 companies required to comply with the new law’s requirements and adapt their services for the European market. These new changes will also affect other internet companies such as “Facebook,” “Instagram,” “Youtube,” “X” (formerly “Twitter”), and others.
Source: The Verge