TikTok is proud to announce the launch of its European Safety Advisory Council, a network of leading safety and policy experts from across Europe who are dedicated to helping ensure a safe and secure app environment for our users. This Advisory Council will serve as a platform to engage with, advise, and provide a direct link between the app and its users.
We are pleased to introduce the members of this council and look forward to working together to ensure a safe and secure digital experience.
Meet TikTok’s European Safety Advisory Council
The European Safety Advisory Council (ESAC) is a high-level, independent body that works to ensure the safety and well-being of TikTok’s users in Europe. It was established in December 2019 and comprises seven independent members, representing inter-sectoral disciplines such as culture, digital policy, communications, civil rights, and public health.
The ESAC meets regularly to review key development plans for TikTok in Europe and advise on policy initiatives necessary to ensure a safe online experience for our users. Its areas of expertise include:
- Safeguarding young people on the platform;
- Ensuring appropriate levels of transparency on the platform;
- Establishing effective data protection practices;
- Creating robust content moderation procedures;
- Reviewing framing and behavioural sciences used by the platform;
- Setting requirements for effective user engagement;
- Supporting innovative aspects of content production on the platform.
In addition to these core areas, it focuses primarily on developing child safety measures and generating greater understanding within its mandate. The ESAC is actively engaged with leading European organizations with special attention given to consumer protection agencies. This allows an early warning system to be set up in case a user’s data or integrity are being violated due to any violations of conduct policies that could be seen as unacceptable or abusive by other members in TikTok’s community.
Purpose and Goals
To ensure a safe, enjoyable and creative environment for users of the TikTok app, the European Safety Advisory Council was created to provide independent advice and oversight. Through the council’s guidance, the goal is to ensure the security and safety of users, upholding the app’s values of trust and accountability.
This council has been created to keep the app’s users and their data safe.
Goals of the European Safety Advisory Council
The European Safety Advisory Council (ESAC) brings together industry, technical, scientific and civil society expertise to support the safe evolution of TikTok services in the European Union. ESAC provides safety guidance for TikTok’s products, best practices for addressing safety challenges and collaborations with external stakeholders.
The goals of the ESAC are to cultivate dialogue and collaboration on:
- Providing holistic safety solutions for TikTok users and content creators;
- Advocating for transparency around data privacy, algorithms and content moderation;
- Promoting a constructive dialogue with all stakeholders;
- Creating an effective governance framework to review complaints, suggested changes and proposed solutions.
By bringing together diverse expertise from industry, technical, scientific and civil society backgrounds, ESAC is helping ensure the long-term sustainability of TikTok in the European Union by improving user safety through an open dialog between platform owners and regulators.
How the Council will help protect users
Since its launch in 2018, TikTok has prioritized protecting users’ safety. Recently introduced, the European Safety Advisory Council (ESAC) serves as a forum to exchange ideas and expertise on user safety with respected industry stakeholders and experts, as part of our continued effort to protect users’ safety on the platform.
The ESAC will bring together international experts from various backgrounds including child protection, content moderation and data protection. These experts will work closely with the TikTok team to provide input on advice and best practice for user safety initiatives on the platform. In particular, ESAC will advise on initiatives related to:
- Regulating access for teens
- Responding to user concerns
- Protecting vulnerable individuals
- Developing data security protocols
At TikTok we believe that all users should be able to express themselves safely and securely. We want our community to create freely without fear of harm or abuse from others. The European Safety Advisory Council is uniquely suited to help us in our mission of delivering a safe digital experience for everyone who uses the platform – one that protects not only people’s data but also their physical well-being & mental health globally – ensuring it can remain an enjoyable and mindful place for everyone who interacts with our apps.
Members of the Council
To ensure the safety of its users and build a healthy platform, TikTok recently established the European Safety Advisory Council.
Made up of 10 members from six European countries, the council is dedicated to promoting user safety and preventing online harm.
Who is on the European Safety Advisory Council
The European Safety Advisory Council is a special group of experts that have come together to collaborate, share resources and capabilities, and provide support and guidance to the European Community on safety matters related to TikTok. The Council aims to ensure that each member is kept abreast of the latest safety developments on TikTok and provides best practice advice and guidance with the ultimate aim of making the platform safer for all users.
Here we present a list of current members of the European Safety Advisory Council:
- Joseph Cannataci – A professor in Cybersecurity at Malta’s University International Institute for ICT Law & Policy and former UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Privacy.
- Anke Domscheit-Berg – A German politician, technology journalist, female entrepreneurship advocate and tech startup supporter.
- Martin Ehrenhauser – Former Member of Parliament in Austria represented several youth organizations including Oneworld Youth Partners Europe where he worked with over 190 organisations from 45 countries on global issues such as Climate Change, Digital Inclusion, Social Entrepreneurship & Innovation or Education & Human Rights/Development Cooperation among others.
- Roni NCSBR (Netanyahu-Cohn Shankbone) – Israeli cybersecurity expert who specializes in malware detection and prevention sites like CryptoMKT Security Group.
- Gerda Sérablegger – Austrian professor focusing on IT law at Austria’s Danube University Krems who has published extensively in various legal journals regarding digitalisation legislation topics such as E-commerce or data privacy related cases.
- Radomir Vackar – Leading Czech blockchain expert with extensive background on advanced cryptography practices following security exploitations found online.
Together these leading experts form the basis for a strong European advisory council that will bring unique insights into handling safety matters across TikTok’s EMEA presence.
What expertise each member brings to the Council
This month TikTok is introducing its European Safety Advisory Council, comprising nine members of the highest caliber from across Europe. The council’s goal is to bring together a collective expertise to advise TikTok on child safety, community standards, privacy and data protection.
Each member brings individual know-how and experience to the Council:
- Jim Gamble QPM: Business Angel Investor, former Chief Executive for CEOP (Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre)
- Birgitta Inger: Education Policy Officer at Swedish National Agency for Education specialising in online safety in schools and teacher training programs
- Matt Walsh: Senior security engineer at Dropbox with several years of experience focussed on data protection compliance; currently working on a PhD examining network privacy implications
- Krasimira Pacheva: Partner at international law firm specializing in EU privacy law; experienced GDPR counsel specializing in platform governance topics
- Michael Garvin O’Grady: Executive Director with extensive international experience of digital policy issues relating to internet governance, digital economy, technology law and human rights issues
- Maria Prandini De Luca: Experienced security problems solver with over 20 years of experience across the public sector, IT departments and education network operations
- Milena Tsvetkova: Leader at several organizations which have advanced children’s online safety; holds an MA in Psychology from UCL
- Steve Thair FRSA: Professor of Computer Ethics at Oxford Internet Institute researching ethical AI applications for machine learning technologies
- Kaye Wiggins FLAAH FRSA UKCI GCGCP MCD DMS CMgr FCMI MCIPR CSTM FCILT FHEA FINSTLM BSC (Hons): Security systems development specialist with long time research interest on cybercrime prevention techniques.
Interaction with Users
TikTok’s European Safety Advisory Council (ESAC) is an important part of the company’s safety practices, allowing users to be more involved in the app’s development. This council comprises experts in the fields of technology, education, government and industry and is committed to providing a secure environment for users on the app.
In this article, we will explore how the ESAC interacts with users on the platform:
How the Council will interact with users
The newly formed TikTok European Safety Advisory Council (ESTAC) is a group of experts from across Europe and the world who will guide TikTok on how it can continue to develop responsible products that support users’ safety and well-being. ESTAC members will engage in dialogue with key stakeholders, including user community members, from various cultural and national backgrounds throughout Europe.
The specific duties of ESTAC members include:
- Engaging with users to understand their safety-related needs;
- Offering feedback about features or product changes that could significantly improve user safety;
- Providing counsel related to protecting user data;
- Recommending procedures or policies that reduce risk;
- Identifying external partners who can help build a safe platform experience;
- Advocating for youth digital literacy initiatives, and more.
ESTAC members are uniquely equipped to help connect communities with the answers they need and gather community sentiment around digital issues into meaningful feedback for TikTok.
They will also engage in communication activities designed to increase digital literacy among users and enable them to become better informed about their rights online.
By forming relationships within communities, providing guidance when needed, and helping inform career development opportunities in the field, ESTAC are devoted evangelists for continuously strengthening user safety at TikTok.
How users can reach out to the Council
The European Safety Advisory Council aims to ensure our users have a safe, inspiring and enjoyable experience. To this end, the Council has put in place some measures including:
- Developing an open dialogue between users and TikTok;
- Working with governments, partners and other online services;
- Setting guidelines on content moderation; and
- Distributing resources to help advocates create safer communities on TikTok.
To ensure effective communication between users and the Council regarding their safety or well-being, users can contact the Council via email or Twitter at @TikTokCouncilEU. As well as providing direct engagement with the user base through these channels, the Council regularly hosts live streams and engages in Q&A sessions. As such, it allows all members to gain valuable insight into how safety works on TikTok. This also serves as an opportunity for members of the public to ask questions about how we are protecting our platform from abuse and ensuring that it remains an inclusive space for everyone who uses it.
