EU watchdog sets up taskforce to examine TikTok's practices, warns on Clearview AI software

An EU task force has set an eye on the Chinese video app TikTok. The task force will be examining the app's practices. The bloc's privacy watchdog warned EU police forces against using facial recognition software from the American company Clearview AI. 

The European Data Protection Board (EDPB) said that it will set up a task force to examine TikTok's activities across the bloc after a request by an EU lawmaker. The lawmaker is concerned about the application's data collection methods and security and privacy risks.

TikTok, owned by China's ByteDance, allows users to create short videos and has seen its popularity rise during the coronavirus pandemic.

Clearview AI scrapes the internet for publicly available photos and uses facial recognition to identify potential suspects, triggering criticism in Canada and the United States about potential misuse.

"The EDPB has doubts as to whether any Union or Member State law provides a legal basis for using a service such as the one offered by Clearview AI," the EDPB said.

"The EDPB is therefore of the opinion that the use of a service such as Clearview AI by law enforcement authorities in the European Union would, as it stands, likely not be consistent with the EU data protection regime," it said.

(Inputs by Reuters)