The UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has fined social media company TikTok £12.7m ($15.75) for violating the country’s data protection laws on multiple grounds.
TikTok cannot obtain parental consent for users under the age of 13 to use its platform and has in place appropriate checks to identify and prevent underage children from using its social media apps. was not implemented.
“There are laws in place to ensure our children are as safe in the digital world as they are in the physical world. TikTok failed to comply with these laws,” said the UK Information Commissioner. said John Edwards of
An estimated 1 million people under the age of 13 improperly accessed the platform, allowing TikTok to collect and use personal data, according to privacy watchdogs.
You can read more about TikTok’s data collection here: Excessive data collection by TikTok
“This means their data could have been used to track and profile them, potentially delivering harmful and inappropriate content on their next scroll,” Edwards added. rice field.
Additionally, the ICO says TikTok generally does not provide people using the platform with adequate information about how their data is collected, used and shared. The company also failed to ensure that UK user data was processed “in a lawful, fair and transparent manner”.
It is worth noting that the ICO’s original prospectus indicated a plan to fine TikTok £27 million ($33 million) for illegal use of special categories of data. However, the ICO ultimately decided not to pursue preliminary findings in that regard.
After the ICO closed its investigation, the regulator announced the issuance of a child policy to protect minors online.
The fine comes days after TikTok general counsel Erich Andersen defended the company’s data collection policy in the United States.
Editorial image credit: Mykolastock / Shutterstock.com
