TikTok CEO to Discuss Issues of Data Protection, Disinformation with EU Regulators

TikTok's Project Clover and Compliance with EU's Digital Services Act Key in Upcoming Meetings; Regulatory Scrutiny Heightens Amid Concerns Over Election Integrity and Minors Online Safety

TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew is set to meet with European Commission officials including Vice President Vera Jourova, Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders, and Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton to discuss issues concerning data protection, disinformation and competition regulations.
One of the key points of the discussion will be TikTok's initiative Project Clover, an initiative for third-party supervision of Europeans’ personal data, which began to store user data locally this year with a data centre in Dublin, Ireland.
The meetings will also focus on the EU’s content moderation guidelines and concerns about disinformation ahead of the 2024 European Parliament elections, as regulatory scrutiny of TikTok's role in the dissemination of disinformation intensifies.
Another topic of discussion will be the firm's compliance with the EU’s Digital Services Act, which categorizes TikTok among 17 platforms designated as “gatekeepers” and demands biannual transparency reports on content practices. TikTok released its first such report in October 2023.
The meeting comes amid growing global concern over TikTok’s data protection practices and content moderation policies, with controversies such as the legal case in Utah, where it was accused of illegally enticing children into addictive and unhealthy use, and misleading information about its connection to parent company ByteDance. TikTok's increasing popularity has also become a worry for tech giants like Google.