Switzerland watches Tiktok

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The latest Chinese entertainment platform, Tiktok, was unintentionally covered in the media. In the United States, Tiktok CEO Shou Zi Chew (40) recently had to appear before a congressional committee to answer sensitive questions. The US makes serious claims about data protection. The platform is also in the sight of EU officials: The EU Commission has banned Tiktok on employees’ work mobile phones.

And Switzerland? he is watching. Do not take action against the social media application for now. What is the advantage of this: Tiktok is getting more and more popular in this country. This is cannibalism against advertisers. “Tages-Anzeiger” reports how Mirco Hecker (43) from Tiktok, Leading Brand Partnerships to Switzerland, praised his employer in front of marketers from well-known Swiss companies. In the presentation, Hecker didn’t mention data protection and possible bans, but did mention how well-received companies are on Tiktok.

Great advertising potential

The user numbers are truly impressive. Tiktok has one billion users worldwide and 150 million in Europe. In Switzerland, the app is the second most popular platform among young people after Instagram, and nearly 3 million people use TikTok in Switzerland.

Numerous companies in Switzerland already use Tiktok for advertising purposes, including Flaschenbach shoes or Mobiliar Versicherungen. Advertising on Tiktok is still relatively cheap.

And so Switzerland is allowing Tiktok to do so until further notice. Switzerland is more flexible than the US or neighboring countries when it comes to mobile phone provider Huawei, another company with Chinese origins.

What are the allegations?

The US objects to the Chinese founders’ control of the company, thanks to their higher voting rights, even though they only own 20 percent of the shares. There is an implicit accusation that China is propagating and spying on users on Tiktok. As part of a major analysis, the British “Guardian” found that the Tiktok algorithm also blocks contributions on sensitive issues for China, such as Tibetan independence.

Tiktok denies transferring user data and points out that the company is based in the Cayman Islands. The Chinese government has no influence. Data centers are located in Europe, Singapore and the USA.

The platform’s data collection frenzy isn’t all that different from other social media platforms like Facebook or Twitter. There’s no denying that the US-sourced Tiktok “hunt” has benefited its main competitors. This is also an argument as to why Switzerland hasn’t taken stronger action against Tiktok. You then need to do the same against other platforms.

But it cannot be denied that Tiktok has many negative aspects for young people. Many TikTok Challenges fail completely. This feeds the mills of those calling for more regulation of Tiktok, or social media platforms in general. (rae)

Source :Blick