The General Court, which is part of the European Court of Justice and is based in Luxembourg, has rejected a case brought by TikTok, owned by Chinese technology company ByteDance, against its classification as a “gatekeeper” by the EU Commission. The decision is seen as an important step in the EU’s laws regulating digital platforms.
Background of the incident
The EU’s digital platform oversight laws, approved last year, aim to make large online platforms more transparent and protect consumers. Under this framework, large digital platforms operating in Europe are classified as “gatekeepers” and are required to follow certain rules.
TikTok Status
TikTok has also been defined by the EU as a “Very Large Online Platform” and classified as a “gatekeeper” in this context. As a result of the legal process TikTok filed against this classification, the General Court supported the EU Commission’s decision and ruled that the company must comply with these rules.
Digital platforms, which face high fines for violations, must comply with the rules set by the EU. TikTok is also expected to fully comply with these rules from now on.