BIG TECH CRACKDOWN LOOMS AS EU, UK READY NEW RULES

TikTok, Twitter, Facebook, Google, and Amazon are facing rising pressure from European authorities as London and Brussels advanced new rules this week to curb the power of digital companies.

They’re among those on a list of the 19 biggest online platforms and search engines that the European Union’s executive arm said must meet extra obligations for cleaning up illegal content and disinformation and keeping users safe under the 27-nation bloc’s landmark digital rules that take effect later this year.

The U.K. government, meanwhile, unveiled draft legislation that would give regulators more power to protect consumers from online scams and fake reviews and boost digital competition.

The updates help solidify Europe’s reputation as the global leader in efforts to rein in the power of social media companies and other digital platforms.

TikTok will allow European Commission officials to carry out a “stress test” of its systems to ensure they comply with the Digital Services Act, Commissioner Thierry Breton said in an online briefing. 

He proposed the idea to TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew when they met in Brussels earlier this year.

“I’m happy that they came back to us saying they are interested,” Breton said, but added that he’s waiting for Chew to provide a date. TikTok did not reply to a request for comment.

Twitter had agreed earlier to a stress test, and Breton said he and his team will travel to the company’s headquarters in San Francisco at the end of June to carry out the voluntary mock exercise. Breton didn’t detail what the test would entail.