British regulators sent a warning note to the company. This is the first major case under the new rules that protect minors online.
TikTok, a popular video-sharing app could face a fine in excess of PS27 Million or $29 Million for failing to protect children’s privacy in the United Kingdom.
The first major case under the new British rules for protecting minors online was sent by British regulators to TikTok on Monday. It stated that the company had processed children’s information without their consent, used sensitive details without the legal basis to do so, and did not explain the platform’s data practices to children in a way they could understand.
Although the findings are preliminary, the Legal Document sent by the Information Commissioner’s Office to TikTok is a formal notification from regulators that they intend to impose an appropriate fine.
This isn’t the first time the video-sharing app has been accused of not protecting the privacy of its younger users. Musical.ly, now TikTok’s operators, agreed to pay $5.7 million in settlement of federal charges that it had broken the federal children’s online privacy law.
The British announcement comes as the U.S. government works to address national security issues with TikTok. This is owned by ByteDance, the Chinese internet giant.
TikTok stated that it disagrees with the findings of Information Commissioner’s Office and noted that they were preliminary. The statement stated that while we recognize the ICO’s role as a safeguarding privacy in U.K., TikTok disagreed with the preliminary views expressed. It said that it would formally respond to the ICO “in due course”.
One year after Britain introduced new online protections for minors , the Children’s Code, TikTok’s privacy complaint was filed.
These rules require that online services such as social networks and gaming platforms design products and features keeping children’s best interests in mind. These rules require that online services used by children must be set to the highest privacy settings and prevent them from tracking children’s exact locations.
Popular social media apps, such as Instagram, Snap, TikTok, TikTok, and TikTok, announced that they were improving protections for children in the months prior to the Children’s Code’s implementation in Britain last January.
British regulators stated that the TikTok investigation was part a larger effort to ensure compliance by companies with the new rules.
“We are currently investigating how more than 50 different online services conform with the Children’s Code,” John Edwards (the U.K. information commissioner) said in a statement. “We have six ongoing investigations looking at companies that provide digital services who haven’t taken their responsibilities about child safety seriously enough,” he added.
California passed a new broad online safety law for minors two weeks ago. It was inspired by the British initiative. The California Age-Appropriate Designs Code Act is the new legislation. It will take effect in 2024.