French President Emmanuel Macron slams TikTok algorithm over censorship, ‘addiction’


Macron has a TikTok account himself with 3.2 million followers which he has used to relay messages about bullying, autism and health. — Reuters

FONTAINE-LE-COMTE, France: French President Emmanuel Macron took aim at TikTok on Dec 8, accusing the Chinese social network of censoring content and encouraging online addiction among young people.

“TikTok is the most disruptive (psychologically), the most effective network among young people,” the 44-year-old said during an event to discuss mental health.

“This network is deceptively innocent,” he said before discussing its algorithms which help identify content to push to users.

“It knows very well what you like... pushes incredibly well made things that are much more creative than the American equivalents,” he said in Fontaine-le-Comte in central France.

“Behind this, there’s a real addiction,” he added.

He also said the platform kept off information banned by Chinese censors such as human rights violations in the Chinese province of Xinjiang.

A United Nations report in August cited possible crimes against humanity there against Uyghurs and other minorities, which Beijing denies.

“I defy you to find content on what is happening in Xinjiang,” Macron added.

He said the network also included “hidden Russian propaganda”, without elaborating.

Macron has a TikTok account himself with 3.2 million followers which he has used to relay messages about bullying, autism and health.

Since coming to power in 2017, he has overseen the passing of new laws in France to force social media platforms to tackle harmful content.

His wife Brigitte, a former school teacher, has also made online bullying one of the focuses of her philanthropic work.

Macron met the new owner of Twitter, Elon Musk, last week during a trip to the United States.

He urged the billionaire entrepreneur to respect content moderation requirements in Europe after Musk announced significant staff cuts. – AFP

Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel for breaking news alerts and key updates!
   

Next In Tech News

Bitcoin at record highs, sets sights on $100,000
Ukraine urges gamers not to enter Chernobyl exclusion zone
Kioxia's market value set at $4.9 billion in IPO
Apple readies more conversational Siri in bid to catch up in AI
China’s richest man berates PDD, ByteDance for months of misery
WhatsApp rolling out transcription for voice messages in multiple languages
The sky's the limit for Bluesky
Two decades of Nintendo's top-selling DS console
ChatGPT's Advanced Voice Mode is coming to web browsers
Elon Musk blasts Australia's planned ban on social media for children

Others Also Read