– We are worried based on what we see happening in countries around us and what came out at a recent meeting in Bergen, says Kjersti Løken Stavrum. She is general manager of Stiftelsen Tinius, which is part owner of the media company Schibsted. The foundation, which was established to ensure free and independent media, has now lodged a complaint against TikTok with the Norwegian Data Protection Authority. Stavrum is also one of the country’s leading experts on freedom of expression and has, among other things, chaired the Freedom of Expression Commission. The meeting she refers to was an open meeting about young people’s media habits, which took place in Bergen last week. A number of media and technology players participated. According to Stavrum, TikTok’s spokesperson in particular attracted attention. – There it was not allowed to quote TikTok’s representative and all cameras had to be switched off, says Stavrum. The Tinius Foundation, headed by Kjersti Løken Stavrum, has filed a complaint against TikTok to the Norwegian Data Protection Authority. Photo: ISMAIL BURAK AKKAN / news – It’s a bizarre way to act, she continues. After the post, Stavrum is said to have asked the TikTok representative twice if he could deny that information about Norwegian users ends up in China. The representative could not reject that, says Stavrum. – That made us even more worried – of course because there are many children and young people who are on TikTok a lot – but there are also many Norwegian government officials, state units and newsrooms who are on TikTok, she says. Silence from TikTok news has presented TikTok with all the criticism in this article and asked for a comment. Parisa Khosravi in TikTok Norden does not want to be interviewed, but refers to a press release. It states, among other things, that European user information is stored in the USA and Singapore. It also emerges that TikTok employees in China get limited access to information the app collects from Europe, something news recently wrote about. In addition, the American security service FBI has been concerned about TikTok’s influence over time. The EU has announced an investigation into the company. – Ridiculous Over one million Norwegians are on TikTok, according to figures from Ipsos. 65 percent are under 18 years of age. Globally, TikTok has over one billion users. – What is so ridiculous about it all is that TikTok lives on communication and sharing. And so they themselves are completely unable to do the same, says Stavrum. She believes there must be an end to technology companies getting away without opening up. – If you compare, for example, with a company that is going to launch a product that we can eat here in Norway, then you would never have the opportunity to enter the Norwegian market without telling what that product consists of, says Stavrum. TikTok does not want to be interviewed by news. Photo: Kiichiro Sato / AP Calls for better regulations The Norwegian Data Protection Authority shares Stavrum’s concern. – These are issues we have been concerned about for several years and which we are working on as best we can within the current regulations, says Tobias Judin, who is head of the international section of the Norwegian Data Protection Authority. – At the same time, this inquiry makes visible that we really need stricter rules for the digital platforms, he adds. – What is the risk of information about us ending up in China? – We do not necessarily know what personal data is used for in China. But Chinese legislation is structured in such a way that it can potentially be used for intelligence purposes or in ways that are difficult for us to foresee, so that they can possibly be used against us, says Judin. He also points out that there is a risk that the information about us is used to influence us politically, as was seen in the Cambridge Analytica scandal. Part of the problem with information about us ending up in China is that we don’t know what it is actually used for. This is pointed out by both Stavrum in Tinius and Judin in the Norwegian Data Protection Authority. Photo: FLORENCE LO / Reuters / NTB Scanpix – Then we have to remember that there are many different people in Norway and on TikTok. Everything from average users and children who are extra vulnerable, but also government officials, says Judin and adds: – This intense data collection can threaten freedom of expression, but also our privacy. In the worst case, this can be used in the context of political marketing where you can manipulate elections. European cooperation necessary The EU adopted a regulation on digital services earlier this year. The government is now considering whether this should also be implemented in Norwegian law. The purpose is for the regulation to help regulate the large technology companies more strictly. Among other things, by making it more difficult for them to share data across platforms and clearer requirements for increased transparency. – We believe and hope this will provide strengthened privacy protection and a better overview of data sharing for Norwegian users, says State Secretary Gunn Karin Gjul in the Ministry of Local Government and District Affairs. She also points out that it is important that the whole of Europe cooperates to regulate the large technology companies. – Each individual country is not able to regulate it alone, she says.
ttn-69
– Bizarre way of acting – news Culture and entertainment
