TikTok SAS, the French subsidiary of the Chinese giant Bytedance, has decided to replace its president Zhao Tian with American Adam Presser, recently appointed director of global operations for the social network, the company told AFP on Tuesday, confirming media reports. Communication. Informed.
According to a recent report by a French senate commission of inquiry into TikTok, Chinese-born Zhao Tian, who acquired Canadian citizenship, is close to Bytedance founder Zhang Yiming.
TikTok representatives had defended to French senators its lack of an operational role, but the report worried about the “potential control exerted over its action by the Chinese power”.
TikTok had already announced the upcoming appointment of a new European president, but finally chose to appoint the American Adam Presser, who directed in particular the activities in China of the production company Warner Bros, a spokesman for the application confirmed to AFP.
Clarifying its ties to China
In July, the French senate commission of inquiry tasked with studying TikTok’s operation and “influence strategy” threatened to apply a suspension in France and the EU if it did not take steps to clarify its links with the Chinese authorities and did not implement an “effective” moderation until January 1, 2024.
Le ministre français délégué au Numérique, Jean-Noël Barrot, avait emboîté le pas en plaintiff à l’entreprise un “état des lieux” d’ici à la fin de l’année sur sa mise en conformité avec les règles européennes de protection des personal information.
Since August 25, TikTok is also subject to enhanced transparency and anti-illegal content obligations under the European Digital Services Act (DSA). To comply, TikTok has already announced the implementation of tools for researchers and regulators, a non-personalized news feed, the end of targeted ads for minors, and a new option to report content.
The network, used by around 150 million Americans and 134 million Europeans every month, claims to have “total separation” from its entities in China, but faces increasing limitations in the West, including over cybersecurity fears.
Source: BFM TV
