Judge Tania D’Amelio read the TikTok penalty verdict on December 30
Venezuela’s Supreme Court of Justice has just fined TikTok 10 million USD (254.8 billion VND) related to challenges spread on this video sharing platform that caused 3 teenagers to die due to exposure to chemicals.
AFP on December 31 quoted Judge Tania D’Amelio as saying TikTok was negligent in not taking “necessary and adequate measures” to prevent the spread of content that encouraged such challenges.
TikTok, owned by ByteDance Company (China), will have to open an office in this South American country and have 8 days to pay the fine or face “appropriate” measures.
Venezuela will use this money to “create a fund to support TikTok victims, with the aim of compensating users for psychological, emotional and physical harm, especially if these users are children and adolescents,” Ms. D’Amelio said.
The company told the court that it “understood the seriousness of the problem,” the judge said on December 30.
Venezuelan authorities said 3 teenagers died and 200 people at schools across the country were poisoned after drinking chemicals while participating in “challenges” on social networks.
TikTok’s huge success globally is partly due to the success of its challenges, a call for users to create videos featuring dances, pranks or games that sometimes go viral, according to AFP.
The app has been accused of endangering users by spreading dangerous challenge videos. TikTok’s official policy prohibits videos that encourage self-harm and suicide.
In November, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro threatened “severe measures” against TikTok if the app did not remove content related to what he called “criminal ordeals”.
Venezuela’s National Assembly is considering laws regulating social media, which Mr Maduro said is used to promote “hatred”, “fascism” and “division”.
