the European Union opens an investigation targeting TikTok and YouTube

Protect minors on the Internet. This is the intention of the European Commission, which opened an investigation into the measures implemented by the social network TikTok and the video platform YouTube in this regard, Thursday November 9. These requests for information are supposed to assure Brussels that companies are complying “to their obligations regarding the protection of minors” under the new European Union legislation on digital services (DSA), which came into force at the end of August.

“TikTok and YouTube must provide the requested information to the Commission by November 30, 2023. Based on the evaluation of the responses, the Commission will determine the next steps”specified the European Commission in a press release.

A first step before potential financial sanctions

If these requests do not constitute a challenge for the moment, it is still a first step. In the event of proven and prolonged violations of the regulations, the procedures can lead to heavy financial sanctions and, in the most extreme cases, fines can reach up to 6% of the global turnover of the groups involved. .

The announcement comes as the European Digital Commissioner, Thierry Breton, has repeatedly stressed that he intends to force very large platforms to respect the new obligations imposed on them. “The protection of children will be a priority” in the implementation of the DSA, he had already warned in August. As a reminder, the legislation applies to 19 of the largest Internet players.