Home HomeSwedenLivingWorld world_2_fill WorldBusiness BusinessSports sports-soccer SportsEntertainmentEntertain

Expert: Meeting with Tiktok yields nothing

The Government hopes that today's ministerial meeting will get companies like Tiktok to become more offensive against gang recruitment on social media. It's not going to give anything, says social media expert Emanuel Karlsten.

» Updated: 23 September 2024, 22:04

» Published: 20 September 2024

Expert: Meeting with Tiktok yields nothing
Photo: Johan Nilsson/TT

The Nordic justice ministers are meeting today outside Uppsala. Representatives from Meta, Google, Snapchat, and Tiktok have also been invited.

The purpose is to see what can be done to stop gangs' recruitment of young people via digital media platforms within the framework of current laws. Karlsten does not believe that anything concrete will come out of the meeting.

It's a political show, he says.

"Don't care"

According to Karlsten, the global companies don't care much about what the Nordic ministers think.

But they care about their platforms, brands, and businesses.

According to Karlsten, it's not Facebook groups or Tiktok accounts that are primarily the problem when gangs recruit young people via social media.

Sure, there's a kind of grooming going on. But it's not criminal to show off a certain lifestyle on social media. The problem is that they then link to encrypted apps and different Telegram groups, and they change all the time.

The authorities cannot force companies to refrain from offering encrypted services. That would require legislative changes.

The principles at stake are whether we should allow secret conversations between citizens or not, says Karlsten.

Effective channels

According to EU law, platforms have no strict liability for what users upload or an obligation to actively search for illegal material. However, they have an obligation to act if they receive a notification from law enforcement about criminal material.

Maybe they're looking for more effective channels for such removal when they find something criminal, says lawyer Daniel Westman, specialized in media law, about today's meeting.

Platforms can remove material that violates user terms or is illegal, but then they must motivate their decision and give the user an opportunity to have the matter reviewed.

Westman notes that it can be difficult for platforms themselves to find accounts or posts that are criminal without information from the police, or to assess on their own what is illegal.

So it builds on the police and prosecutors having that knowledge and saying so.

Westman can also imagine that the police want to get more information from platforms about users of different accounts.

There, it's pretty clear what the legislation sets as limits. There, the platforms don't have much room to maneuver, he says.

Tags
TTT
By TTThis article has been altered and translated by Sweden Herald

More news

Suspects Released After School Operation
1 MIN READ

Suspects Released After School Operation

The Verdict: Cannabis in the Blood of Pastry Poisoning Victims
1 MIN READ

The Verdict: Cannabis in the Blood of Pastry Poisoning Victims

The Kumla hackers gained access to "almost everything"
1 MIN READ

The Kumla hackers gained access to "almost everything"

Criminal got job as social worker
1 MIN READ

Criminal got job as social worker

Woman dies after being hit by a car in Västerås
1 MIN READ

Woman dies after being hit by a car in Västerås

Voluntary for Municipalities to Employ Doctors
1 MIN READ

Voluntary for Municipalities to Employ Doctors

In Malmö, we commemorate Kristallnacht
1 MIN READ

In Malmö, we commemorate Kristallnacht

The gap is increasing – more women than men continue to study
1 MIN READ

The gap is increasing – more women than men continue to study

Man Shot at in Kista – Escaped Unharmed
1 MIN READ

Man Shot at in Kista – Escaped Unharmed

The Government is Reported for Lack of Climate Plan
1 MIN READ

The Government is Reported for Lack of Climate Plan

"Almost Certain"
2 MIN READ

"Almost Certain"

Stefan Löfven: This is how you talk to Trump
2 MIN READ

Stefan Löfven: This is how you talk to Trump

Expert: Trump's victory "a slap in the face"
3 MIN READ

Expert: Trump's victory "a slap in the face"

Extradited after suspected boat murder
1 MIN READ

Extradited after suspected boat murder

Attacked girls with a knife – deported
1 MIN READ

Attacked girls with a knife – deported

"Copycab" Company Convicted of Trademark Infringement
1 MIN READ

"Copycab" Company Convicted of Trademark Infringement

Fear of Swedish Inflation after Trump's Election
4 MIN READ

Fear of Swedish Inflation after Trump's Election

Ica expands recall of falukorv
1 MIN READ

Ica expands recall of falukorv

Prison sentence for 16-year-old murderer to be tried in the Supreme Court
2 MIN READ

Prison sentence for 16-year-old murderer to be tried in the Supreme Court

Two police officers hospitalized after collision in Boden
1 MIN READ

Two police officers hospitalized after collision in Boden