Since November 13th, “Paris 2024” has disappeared from both TikTok and Instagram. On TikTok, the account has changed its name, while on Instagram, followers appear to have been transferred to another account.
In this context, Pierre-Xavier Chomiac de Sas spoke with Le Figaro regarding the sudden disappearance/deletion of the “Paris 2024” Instagram and TikTok accounts.
This situation raises interesting legal issues concerning the availability of social media accounts, accessibility for followers, and the control available to both account holders and the social media platforms themselves.
Read the article on Le Figaro’s website: Why the Paris 2024 Instagram and TikTok accounts suddenly disappeared
Social media for the 2024 Olympics: Who owns the Instagram & TikTok accounts?
Social media accounts, such as Instagram and TikTok, are generally created and managed by entities or individuals acting on behalf of an organization, in this case, the Paris 2024 Organizing Committee (OCOG).
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is responsible for creating and managing accounts related to information and promotion of the Olympic events across all social media platforms.
These accounts are therefore governed by the contractual agreements between the platform providers – Meta, WhatsApp, Snapchat, TikTok, LinkedIn, etc. It is important to note that the creation and use of these accounts are not a matter of ownership but simply a license to use the digital spaces made available to them.
While account deletion is always possible at the initiative of its creator, it can also be directly considered by the platform in the event of a violation of legal or contractual provisions, particularly regarding intellectual property, data protection, or illegal or violent content.
Instagram & TikTok: A genuine “transfer” of Paris 2024 Olympic accounts
Following the removal of these accounts, including the Instagram account with over three million followers, users witnessed an immediate and significant increase in the International Olympic Committee’s “regular” accounts.
Several hundred thousand followers were thus gradually “added,” confirming the involvement and therefore the agreement of Meta’s technical staff in this de facto transfer.
Such practices are generally prohibited by the platforms’ Terms of Service, which prevent the consideration of channel or account followers as transferable or assignable assets.
Paris Olympics: Deletion of accounts and their content
Many internet users and event participants have denounced the destruction of a historical record that preserves the memory of the event. While the images and videos posted from the account are presumably preserved by their author, the texts and comments posted are permanently lost.
It is likely that the Meta group retains digital records of all these posts, particularly to comply with its legal, civil, and criminal obligations as a content host.
However, this content will likely remain inaccessible to internet users except through potentially specialized archive websites.
Deleted “Paris JO” accounts: an economic and marketing strategy?
The management of digital communications for Paris 2024 is both strategic and contractual, particularly with regard to partnerships with companies and visibility obligations towards sponsors and other stakeholders.
The transfer of subscribers to the official IOC accounts can be justified in light of the imperatives and objectives of communicating and promoting the Olympic disciplines.
The management of digital communications for Paris 2024 is indeed both strategic and contractual, particularly with regard to partnerships with companies and visibility obligations towards sponsors and other stakeholders.
It should be noted that the accounts for previous editions of the Olympic Games, notably Tokyo, are still active today. However, the limited number of subscribers on these accounts may justify, from an economic and marketing perspective, the IOC’s interest in transferring their subscribers for the time being.
