Schneider Electric has confirmed a cyber attack on its internal systems that resulted in the theft of 40 GB of data. Hacker group HellCat demands ransom by threatening to reveal confidential information
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Seven French families have filed a class action lawsuit against TikTok. The lawsuit targets ByteDance, which victims say is responsible for providing content that encourages self-harm and exacerbates depression.
Parents in France have created the association Argos Victima to seek justice in court and hold TikTok accountable for algorithms that provide harmful content to teenagers. The difference between TikTok and its Chinese version, Douyin, is that teens’ viewing time is limited to 40 minutes per day, and the recommended content is educational in nature. In France, parents claim that TikTok exposes young people to content about self-harm and depression, which worsens their psychological state; According to Franceinfo, in 2023, the parents of a 15-year-old girl named Marie have already filed a criminal case against TikTok, and the platform created a “toxic bubble” for teenagers that they blame for leading to their daughter’s death.
This lawsuit is not the first time that TikTok has been criticized for its influence on young people. The European Union previously launched an investigation into TikTok’s compliance with child online protection rules, focusing on excessive screen time, algorithmic rabbit traps, age verification and privacy settings. Tech experts and parents have questioned the safety of TikTok’s algorithms, accusing the platform of directing young people to potentially dangerous content.
A class-action lawsuit filed by French families against TikTok underscores people’s desire to regulate social media and protect young people from harmful content. The case also highlights differences between Western and Chinese versions of the platform, forcing experts and policymakers to reconsider the security and ethical aspects of social media algorithms.
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