According to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), TikTok was fined £12.7 million for a number of data protection legislation violations, including failing to use children's personal data legitimately.
Despite its terms of service prohibiting it, the ICO said that more than a million children under the age of 13 were using TikTok in 2020.
The corporation did not do enough to examine who was using the social networking app and take adequate measures to remove the underage users, it was said, and personal information belonging to those children was used without parental authorization.
TikTok had been facing a £27 million punishment, but the ultimate amount was just £12.7 million. "This punishment may be somewhat less than what the ICO first threatened, but it is still a major penalty and one of the highest ever handed by the ICO," said Ryan Gracey, partner and data privacy expert at the law firm Gordons.
John Edwards, the information commissioner, claimed TikTok had broken rules meant to ensure that kids are as secure online "as they are offline."
As a result, he claimed, "TikTok collected and used the personal data of an estimated one million under-13s who were improperly given access to the site." That implies that their information may have been used to profile them and track them, perhaps presenting offensive stuff to them at the same moment they scroll.
John Edwards, the information commissioner, claimed TikTok had broken rules meant to ensure that kids are as secure online "as they are offline."
As a result, he claimed, "TikTok collected and used the personal data of an estimated one million under-13s who were improperly given access to the site." That implies that their information may have been used to profile them and track them, perhaps presenting offensive stuff to them at the same moment they scroll.
TikTok ought to have been smarter. TikTok ought to have performed better. Our $12.7 million punishment underscores the potentially devastating consequences of their mistakes. He went on to say that it's possible that children's data was used to follow and profile them, thereby exposing them to dangerous or unsuitable information.
Although the firm disagreed with the ICO's decision, a TikTok spokesman expressed satisfaction that the fee had been decreased from the potential £27 million put forth by the ICO last year.
Our 40,000-strong safety team works around the clock to help keep the platform safe for our community, and we invest substantially to help keep children under 13 off it, the representative added.