In the USA, Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders and Attorney General Tim Griffin announced at the press conference that three different lawsuits were filed against TikTok and Meta platforms.
“We must hold big tech companies accountable for forcing our children to use addictive platforms and exposing them to a world of inappropriate content,” Sanders said. said.
Lawsuits are not about content companies use “deceptive methods”
Saying that social media companies exploit children for profit, Sanders said, “My administration will not tolerate this failed status quo.” he said.
Griffin said these lawsuits were not about content, but about companies using “deceptive methods” towards users.
Stating that Meta deliberately uses algorithms that are addictive to adolescents and shape their thoughts, Griffin noted that “Meta deliberately hides the way the algorithms work from the public, as it seeks profit and growth, rather than informing the public about these algorithms.”
Griffin reported that TikTok and Meta were accused of violating the state’s trade practices law.
One of the lawsuits was allegedly filed to protect underage children using TikTok from inappropriate content, including content depicting sex, drug or alcohol use.
In the lawsuit against Meta, it was alleged that the company was trying to maximize the time children spend on the platform via Facebook.
-ikTok Chief Executive Shou Zi Chew testified in the US Congress
TikTok Chief Executive (CEO) Shou Zi Chew is in the US Congress on issues such as China-based technology company ByteDance and its relationship with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), the transfer of American data to China, the negative impact of the platform on the mental health of especially young people, the prevention of harmful content and political content. had testified.
Chew argued that TikTok is a platform that protects freedom of expression and that such content is not removed.
Banned in EU and USA
TikTok faces severe restrictions due to security and privacy concerns, fears that user information can be accessed and used to spread pro-Chinese views.
While the European Union Commission and European Parliament banned TikTok due to security concerns, many government institutions in the USA, including the White House, Ministry of Defense, Department of Homeland Security and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, banned TikTok without waiting for the vote in Congress in December 2022.
The US House of Representatives also banned the download and use of the TikTok application on official devices used by its members and employees on December 28, 2022.
The UK also announced that TikTok will be banned on devices belonging to all public employees with the decision taken on March 16.