TikTok fined $16 million for 'misusing children's data' in UK

Introduction

Britain's data watchdog, the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), announced on Tuesday that it has imposed a fine of approximately $ 16 million on TikTok for violating data protection laws. The Chinese company was accused of using the personal data of children under the age of 13 without obtaining parental consent.

The ICO estimated that as many as 1.4 million children in the UK were allowed to access TikTok in 2020, despite the platform's policy of setting the minimum age for account creation at 13. The breaches are reported to have occurred between May 2018 and July 2020 and were attributed to the app's insufficient measures to verify the ages of its users and remove those who were underage.

According to the UK Information Commissioner, the misuse of children's data may have led to tracking and profiling, potentially exposing them to harmful or inappropriate content. In response to the fine, a spokesperson for TikTok stated that the company disagreed with the ICO's decision, although it expressed relief that the penalty was reduced from the anticipated fine of $ 34 million initially proposed by the ICO last year. The spokesperson emphasized TikTok's commitment to safety, mentioning their substantial investments aimed at preventing users under 13 from accessing the platform, bolstered by a dedicated team of 40,000 safety personnel.

This fine also comes amid escalating scrutiny of TikTok by Western governments, including Britain's move to restrict the app's use on official devices due to security concerns.

Keywords

TikTok
fine
$ 16 million
data protection
children's data
parental consent
ICO
underage users
security concerns

FAQ

What was TikTok fined for?
TikTok was fined for breaching data protection laws by using the personal data of children under 13 without obtaining parental consent.

How much is the fine imposed on TikTok?
The fine imposed on TikTok is approximately $ 16 million.

Why did the ICO start investigating TikTok?
The ICO began investigating TikTok after finding that around 1.4 million UK children under 13 were allowed to use the platform in 2020, despite its policy requiring users to be at least 13 years old.

What were the consequences of the data breaches?
The ICO indicated that the breaches might have allowed the data to be used for tracking and profiling children, which could expose them to harmful or inappropriate content.

What has TikTok said in response to the fine?
TikTok disagreed with the ICO's decision but was pleased that the fine was reduced from the initially proposed $ 34 million. The company stated that it heavily invests in safety measures to prevent underage users from accessing the platform.