Caroline Greer, Director of Public Policy & Government Relations , Brussels

At TikTok, we believe safety is a prerequisite for creativity. It’s why we work round the clock to help ensure our platform is a safe, positive space for self-expression. Our online safety strategy has multiple aspects. We enforce our Community Guidelines using both technology and thousands of experts around the world. We develop pioneering safety policies and features, and we partner with external safety experts to keep abreast of complex and constantly evolving challenges.

While we are already investing at scale in our global trust and safety operations, we appreciate that regulation can play an important role to ensure that the digital world is safe for all. It’s why we welcome the EU’s Digital Services Act, and support its overall ambition. 

In particular, we welcome its focus on transparency and accountability for platforms. At TikTok, we aim to be open about our processes, teams and technology to help people better understand our work. We think this is fundamental to building trust with our community. 

As well as publishing Transparency Reports, we have recently announced the opening of our European Transparency and Accountability Centre to provide experts with an opportunity to see first-hand how we secure our community's safety, data, and privacy. In addition, our European Safety Advisory Council, established earlier this year, brings together leaders from academia and civil society from across Europe to support us in developing forward-looking safety policies and identify emerging issues.

We believe that there are a number of dynamic approaches that platforms can take to improve both transparency and accountability. This is important to consider as the DSA outlines check-lists of data to be provided to different parties, some of which may be of questionable value, could contravene commercial trade secrets or even undermine safety efforts if placed in the wrong hands. 

We would also encourage legislators to extend the transparency requirements to the broader community, such as trusted flaggers and authorities, to help create a more rounded picture of how potentially violative content is identified and acted on. 

Given the fast-changing nature of the digital world, the elegant ambiguity of the DSA in certain places will help to ensure it is future-proof. However, in order to work towards compliance, providers will also need to see sharper definitions and delineations, including how the DSA interacts with other content regulations, greater clarity on issues such as the Notice and Action provisions and a better understanding of the regulatory oversight model, for example the role of the out-of-court dispute settlement process.

The DSA has the potential to become a modern and successful way to govern digital services in the EU, by building on the successful foundations of the EU eCommerce directive and making some necessary and welcome changes to see us into the next decade. These building blocks are crucial for a world-class regulatory framework that works for both users and businesses alike, by ensuring that Europeans feel safe and protected as they navigate the digital world and by enabling innovation to thrive. 

In the coming months, we look forward to meaningful stakeholder engagement. Our contributions will focus on ensuring that any new requirements in the DSA are achievable, proportionate and have a tangible and positive impact on the digital services enjoyed by Europeans. As a platform, we're humbled that millions across Europe come to TikTok every day to express themselves, find their community and discover new experiences - and we'll never stop working to help keep TikTok a safe and positive space for all.