TikTok has been fined £12.7m for failing to protect the privacy of children, the UK’s data watchdog has said.
An investigation conducted by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) found the video-sharing app breached data protection law.
It says the breaches happened between May 2018 and July 2020.
In September, the ICO issued TikTok with a “notice of intent” – a precursor to handing down a potential fine.
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The ICO estimates that TikTok allowed up to 1.4 million UK children under 13 to use its platform in 2020, despite its own rules not allowing children that age to create an account.
UK data protection law says that platforms that use personal data when offering information to children under 13 must have parental consent.
Information commissioner John Edwards said: “There are laws in place to make sure our children are as safe in the digital world as they are in the physical world. TikTok did not abide by those laws.
“As a consequence, an estimated one million under 13s were inappropriately granted access to the platform, with TikTok collecting and using their personal data. That means that their data may have been used to track them and profile them, potentially delivering harmful, inappropriate content at their very next scroll.
“TikTok should have known better. TikTok should have done better. Our £12.7m fine reflects the serious impact their failures may have had.”
SOURCE: BBCNEWS
