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EU sets TikTok ultimatum over 'addictive' new app feature (www.dw.com)

submitted 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago) by MicroWave@lemmy.world to c/world@lemmy.world

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The European Commission is threatening to suspend the TikTok Lite rewards programme, unless the Chinese-owned app provides answers within 24 hours.

The European Commission on Monday gave TikTok a 24-hour deadline to submit an assessment of potential health risks related to its new app TikTok Lite or face daily fines.

It comes after TikTok "failed to provide" information earlier this month.

TikTok Lite, a slimmed down version of TikTok, launched in France and Spain in March. It is optimized for slower internet connections and uses less memory.

It enables users over the age of 18 to earn points that can be redeemed for vouchers or gift cards.

The Commission says it wants the Chinese-owned company to show how it assessed the addictiveness and mental health risks of the scheme"

If TikTok fails to reply within the 24-hour deadline the company faces fines amounting to one percent of its annual revenue.

The bloc's, executive, also announced Monday it was launching a second probe to determine if TikTok breached the EU's Digital Service Act.

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[-] CosmicCleric@lemmy.world 54 points 7 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago)

You're doing good work EU, keep it up!

~Anti~ ~Commercial-AI~ ~license~ ~(CC~ ~BY-NC-SA~ ~4.0)~

[-] Kolanaki@yiffit.net 25 points 7 months ago

The Commission says it wants the Chinese-owned company to show how it assessed the addictiveness and mental health risks of the scheme

"We found it to be super addictive and harmful. That's why we pushed it forward."

[-] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 22 points 7 months ago

It took until the end to say, but you earn these points and get these gift cards or vouchers for watching and liking videos.

Which, you must admit, sounds like it would go against a regular company's business model...

[-] neme@lemm.ee 19 points 7 months ago

Isn't Microsoft Rewards similar?

[-] Daxtron2@startrek.website 10 points 7 months ago

Yeah I'd be interested to see how many interactions it takes to actually earn them. Could set up a bot in an emulator to try and get it lol

[-] jol@discuss.tchncs.de 7 points 7 months ago

First few, and then more and more. It's not new idea for sure.

[-] Daxtron2@startrek.website 3 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago)

Yeah that about what I expected. Gotta get a bot farm set up that can make new accounts hehe

[-] SoupBrick@yiffit.net 9 points 7 months ago

More watch time/interaction = more algorithm training and ad exposure. I would imagine the profits will outweigh the expenses, especially if the pay is $1 for every 50 watched videos or something.

[-] azertyfun@sh.itjust.works 9 points 7 months ago

It's way worse, it's a handful of (less than 10 IIRC) cents of monopoly money for watching over an hour's content.

There is truly no value proposition whatsoever as literally any kind of even terribly sub-minimum wage work would be more lucrative, yet it apparently appeals to (typically) students with zero income.

It's cyberpunk dystopia except instead of cool cyber-implants you get a lame rectangle-shaped dopamine pump that also gives you crippling depression.

[-] RGB3x3@lemmy.world 2 points 7 months ago

People don't use these things as primary income. It's an incentive to keep swiping because they'll say to themselves "just a couple more and I can get a $5 gift card. I'm here anyway."

And so they just keep swiping. They become addicted.

[-] meco03211@lemmy.world 4 points 7 months ago

And in come the farmers to game the system which doesn't generate revenue for the advertisers but tiktok would still rake in the impressions.

[-] aniki@lemm.ee 4 points 7 months ago

Sucks to be them!

[-] ErilElidor@feddit.de 6 points 7 months ago

Well, it means you are incentivized to scroll through the app more, meaning you see more ads as well. 110% sure it pays off for them

[-] slaacaa@lemmy.world 8 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago)

China and Russia a waging an information war against the West. As long as our decision-makers won’t even admit and act on that, we are losing

[-] wurzelgummidge@lemmy.world 5 points 7 months ago

What a way to ramp up engagement, eh? I'll bet Zuckerberg is beyond livid because none of his highly paid staff thought of that one

[-] madis@lemm.ee 2 points 7 months ago

What's the difference between Lite and the original app?

[-] DrownedRats@lemmy.world 3 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago)

Tiktok lite is a slimmed down version of tiktok. It is optimized for slower internet connections and uses less memory.

It enables users over the age of 18 to earn points that can be redeemed for vouchers or gift cards.

[-] madis@lemm.ee 2 points 7 months ago

Well yeah, but that's it? How does it differ from Bing Rewards or so?

[-] geography082@lemm.ee 2 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago)

So what’s behind this lately heavy interest of politicians to take care of their population digital life?. I’m not saying is great. But I don’t trust politicians so what’s behind ?. What are we going to notice in the future and it will be already late and would need to revert again another shitty social manipulation.

this post was submitted on 22 Apr 2024

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