EU Preliminarily Finds TikTok's Recommendation System Violates the Digital Services Act

November 8: According to Caixin, the European Commission on November 6 local time preliminarily found that TikTok's recommendation mechanism produces a "rabbit hole effect," making it increasingly hard for users to tear themselves away, and that it violates the Digital Services Act (DSA), with TikTok's existing mitigation measures proving ineffective. The EU believes TikTok should adjust its "For You" algorithm, including pushing content more based on preferences users have explicitly expressed, removing watch time as a recommendation metric, and improving the ease of use of user control features. If a violation is ultimately confirmed, TikTok could face a fine of up to 6% of its global annual turnover. TikTok denies the allegations, saying the EU's claims are fundamentally untrue. The conclusion is a preliminary finding, not a final penalty decision, and TikTok may exercise its right of defense.