TIKTOK, BOWING TO EU RULES, WITHDRAWS LITE REWARDS PROGRAM. (PHOTO).
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TikTok agreed to permanently remove a feature in a spinoff app in France and Spain that rewards users for watching and liking videos, bowing to pressure from European regulators and strict digital laws within the bloc, the EU and the Chinese-owned company said Monday.
TikTok Lite arrived in France and Spain – the only EU countries where it is available – in April this year. Users aged 18 and over can earn points to exchange for goods like vouchers or gift cards through the app's rewards program.
"We have obtained the permanent withdrawal of TikTok Lite Rewards program, which could have had very addictive consequences," the EU's internal market commissioner, Thierry Breton, said.
TikTok Lite is a smaller version of the popular TikTok app, taking up less memory in a smartphone and is made to perform over slower internet connections.
TikTok made commitments to remove the program from the 27-country bloc and not to launch "any other program which would circumvent the withdrawal," the European Commission said in a statement.
It is the first major victory for the European Union's landmark Digital Services Act (DSA), a sweeping new law that requires digital firms operating in the bloc to effectively police online content to protect users from harm.
The commission kickstarted an investigation into the Lite app in April amid concerns over "addictive" effects, which forced TikTok to temporarily suspend the program.
The case is now closed after TikTok, owned by Chinese company ByteDance, made the binding commitments.
accusing the app of violating children's privacy by collecting data about them without their parents' permission when they use the platform.
TikTok said it disagreed with the allegations and that the company had safeguards to ensure age-appropriate experiences.
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