TikTok has been fined £12.7 million by the UK's Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) for violating data protection laws, including the use of personal data of children under 13 without their parents' consent. Despite setting 13 as the minimum age for creating an account, TikTok reportedly allowed 1.4 million children under 13 to use the platform in 2020. The data breaches occurred between May 2018 and July 2020, with the Chinese-owned video app failing to check who was using the platform and remove underage children who were using it. Children's data may have been used to track and profile them, potentially presenting them with harmful or inappropriate content.
UK Information Commissioner John Edwards emphasized the need for laws to ensure that children are as safe in the digital world as they are in the physical world. He said that TikTok did not abide by those laws, and that the fine reflected the serious impact of the company's fiasco. The ICO previously proposed a £25 million fine, but the fine was reduced after discovering initial findings about the unlawful use of special categories of data on TikTok.
TikTok has invested heavily in keeping the platform safe for users over 13, and its 40,000 strong safety team works around the clock to ensure the platform's security. A TikTok spokesperson said the company disagreed with the ICO's decision, but was pleased that the fine had been reduced from the proposed £27 million set out by the ICO last year. The company is reviewing the decision and considering its next steps. The fine comes amid the banning of the TikTok app in several countries due to national security concerns.
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