BRUSSELS: The social media phenomenon TikTok joined the EU's disinformation code of conduct on Monday as tech giants seek to persuade Europe to back away from setting laws against harmful content online.

"We're proud to sign up to the (code of conduct), to play our part," said Theo Bertram, TikTok's director of government relations for Europe.

The EU created the code of conduct in 2018 in which companies such as Facebook, Twitter and Google pledged to a series of actions, including closing fake accounts and committing to more transparency in political advertising.

The tech giants are eager to demonstrate the success of voluntarily taking action against harmful activity as they fear far more direct oversight by Brussels on the everyday operations of their platforms.

TikTok has become a global sensation with users sharing 15 to 60-second video clips on everything from hair-dye tutorials to dance routines and gags about daily life.

"Today's announcement shows once again that internet companies take their responsibility seriously and are ready to play their part," said Siada El Ramly, head of the EDiMA big tech lobby in Brussels.

Chinese-owned TikTok joined the disinformation group just as the EU published the latest of its regular reports monitoring the implementation of code of conduct for hate speech.