TikTok has been fined $16m by UK privacy regulators for failing to protect children’s data. A statement from the Commisioner’s office read “a number of breaches of data protection law, including failing to use children’s personal data lawfully.”
“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,” said John Edwards, Information commissioner, as reported by BBC.
“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,” he added.
Earlier this month, Arabian Business reported that The United States has told Bytedance, the company that owns the popular social media app TikTok, that either its Chinese owners divest their stake, or face a ban in the country.
This is the second serious attempt to ban the video app. Republican President Donald Trump tried to ban TikTok in 2020 but was blocked by US courts.
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