The short-video sharing app popular among young people, TikTok has been fined $15.9 million for mishandling children’s data, by the UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). Despite the platform’s own rules prohibiting children under 13 from creating accounts, over 1.4 million children under the age of 13 were found to be using the app in the UK alone in 2020.
Read more: TikTok Fined $15.9 Million for Mishandling Children’s DataThe British watchdog conducted an investigation into TikTok’s data breaches between May 2018 and July 2020, which resulted in the discovery that TikTok failed to adequately identify and remove children under 13 from its platform. Furthermore, the app failed to obtain consent from parents to process their children’s data, as required by British data protection laws.
The ICO’s penalty is the latest in a series of measures taken by Western governments to scrutinize TikTok and its parent company, ByteDance, amid growing concerns about data privacy and cybersecurity risks posed by the app.
TikTok fined $15.9 million for mishandling children’s data, by the ICO underscores the need for companies to prioritize the protection of children’s data. As more children turn to social media platforms, it is essential for companies to ensure compliance with data protection laws and establish robust measures to identify and remove underage users. Failure to do so can result in severe financial and reputational damage, as well as legal action by regulatory authorities.
