European Union warns TikTok to alter recommendation algorithm or face fines

The European Commission issued a warning to TikTok demanding changes to its personalized For You recommendation feed, according to JournalArta, The Verge, and Tubefilter. Regulators allege that the feed creates a rabbit hole effect that leads to infinite scrolling and repeated exposure to content related to sadness, isolation, and body image. Tubefilter reported that the announcement was made on Wednesday, while JournalArta and The Verge reported the warning occurred on Friday. [1][2][4]

According to Tubefilter, the European Union is claiming authority under the Digital Services Act, alleging that the addictive design of the feed violates the law. Regulators stated that TikTok failed to adequately assess how its recommendation algorithm impacts children and other vulnerable users, JournalArta reported. JournalArta further noted that the Commission wants the platform to redesign the feed to give users increased control over the content presented to them. [1][4]

TikTok could face financial penalties of up to 6% of its global annual turnover if the investigation results in a formal penalty, according to JournalArta and PPC Land. The platform hosts user-submitted short-form videos ranging in duration from three seconds to 60 minutes. It operates separately from Douyin, which is used in mainland China and Hong Kong. [1][7][9]