TikTok's new service is said to be aimed at meeting the strict requirements of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR - a regulation on personal data protection issued by the EU and effective from 2018), limiting the collection of user data for advertising.
TikTok's non-advertising subscription package for users in the UK has a fee of 3.99 British pounds/month, equivalent to about 5.44 USD. According to the plan, the service will be deployed in the coming months and only applies to users aged 18 and over.
When subscribing to this package, users will no longer see ads on the popular short video platform owned by ByteDance. At the same time, their personal data will not be used for advertising purposes.
The new move is said to be directly related to strict data protection regulations in the UK, especially the General Regulation on Data Protection for the GDPR. This regulation requires technology companies to have clear user consent before collecting personal data for advertising.
Mr. Kris Boger - leader in charge of TikTok's business and advertising in the UK and some European regions, said that TikTok still considers advertising as an important tool to support businesses in the UK in reaching customers, increasing revenue and creating jobs.
However, this platform also wants to provide more options for users to better control their personal experiences.
Previously, TikTok started testing a non-advertising package from 2023. It is not yet clear whether the platform plans to expand its service to the United States.
