Three teenagers died and 200 others were poisoned after attempting a challenge born on the Chinese social network Tiktok.
Venezuela on Monday fined Tiktok ten million dollars for its “negligence” in controlling online challenges, after the death of three Venezuelan teenagers who took up a dangerous challenge left circulating on the Chinese platform.
The Supreme Court of Venezuela ordered TikTok to make payment within the next eight days “taking into account its negligence, in not having implemented the necessary and appropriate measures to prevent the dissemination of publications evoking viral challenges” , said Judge Tania D’Amelio.
200 young people poisoned
On November 21, the Supreme Court agreed to examine this case, after the death of three teenagers and the poisoning of 200 others in several schools in the country, after inhaling chemical substances promoted as part of viral challenges.
“With the fine imposed, the Venezuelan State will create a fund for the victims of TikTok, intended to compensate for the psychological, emotional and physical damage caused to users, especially if they are children and adolescents,” added the judge .
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro spoke at the end of November of summoning Tiktok representatives to court after the death of these three young people who carried out these dangerous challenges.
Tiktok singled out all over the world
Tiktok is in the crosshairs of several countries, such as in the United States, where it has more than 170 million users. The authorities suspect the application of spying on Americans, collecting personal information, but also of serving Chinese propaganda. Tiktok refutes these accusations.
Under a law signed this year, TikTok’s Chinese owner, Bytedance, must divest from the popular app by January or risk being banned in the United States. But President-elect Donald Trump, who will take office in January, opposes it, saying it would only favor Instagram and Facebook.
In early November, Canada ordered the liquidation of the Canadian branch of Tiktok, citing “specific risks to national security”, but without banning access and use of the application in the country.
Brazil, for its part, ordered Tiktok to take measures to protect the personal data of minors, raising the possibility of sanctions.
