A commission of investigation into the Chinese social network TikTok, highly criticized in the United States and closely followed in Europe, should see the light in the Senate, according to what AFP learned this Friday from parliamentary sources.
The Les Indépendants group, chaired by Claude Malhuret, “plans” to exercise its right of drawing for the creation of such a commission of inquiry. However, it must meet admissibility criteria and be approved by the Conference of Presidents, whose next meeting is scheduled for Wednesday. Each political group has the right to establish one commission of inquiry or one fact-finding mission per parliamentary year (drawing right).
Claude Malhuret is especially committed to data protection and the responsibility of the platforms for the content they broadcast. In 2019, he was one of the few senators who supported the flagship measure of the Avia law, the obligation for platforms to remove “manifestly” illegal content within 24 hours, stressing that “freedom of expression is not sowing hate “.
TikTok in the crosshairs of several countries
A law recently signed into law by President Joe Biden prohibits the use of the popular video-sharing platform in the House of Representatives and the Senate, as well as on the devices of public servants. Conservative elected officials accuse TikTok of being a spy or propaganda tool in the service of Beijing.
In Europe, several senior European officials called, in early January, on the executive director of the Chinese social network Shou Zi Chew to “fully” respect EU rules, in particular with regard to data protection and the fight against misinformation.
In France, the opacity of TikTok was pointed out by Arcom in its report published at the end of 2022 which underlines that the company has “occupied an incredible place at lightning speed”, especially among young people. President Emmanuel Macron, who has an account with nearly 4 million subscribers, calls the network “astonishingly naive.”
Source: BFM TV
