TechDigits

Tech news
Thursday, Jun 08, 2023

TikTok fined £12.7m for misusing children's data

TikTok fined £12.7m for misusing children's data

TikTok has been fined £12.7m by the UK's data watchdog for failing to protect the privacy of children.

It estimated TikTok allowed up to 1.4 million UK children aged under 13 to use the platform in 2020.

The video-sharing site used the data of children of this age without parental consent, according to an investigation by the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO).

TikTok said it had "invested heavily" to stop under-13s accessing the site.

The ICO said many were able to access the site despite TikTok setting 13 as the minimum age to create an account.

It said that children's data may have been used to track and profile them, and potentially present them with harmful or inappropriate content.

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.

"TikTok should have known better. TikTok should have done better. Our £12.7m fine reflects the serious impact their failures may have had."

Later, he told BBC News TikTok had "taken no steps" to obtain parental consent.

"When you sign up you can be targeted for advertising, you can be profiled, your data contributes to an algorithm which feeds content," he said.

"If you've been looking at content which is not appropriate for your age, that can get more and more extreme.

"It can be quite harmful for people who are not old enough to fully appreciate the implications and to make appropriate choices."


Reduced fine


It is one of the largest fines the ICO has issued.

A TikTok spokesperson told the BBC "our 40,000-strong safety team works around the clock to help keep the platform safe for our community".

"While we disagree with the ICO's decision, which relates to May 2018 - July 2020, we are pleased that the fine announced today has been reduced to under half the amount proposed last year. We will continue to review the decision and are considering next steps."

The watchdog had previously issued TikTok with a "notice of intent" - a precursor to handing down a potential fine - at the time saying TikTok could face a £27m fine for these breaches.

Prof Sonia Livingstone, who researches children's digital rights and experiences at the London School of Economics and Political Science, told the BBC it was "great the ICO is taking action", but feared the fine amount could be "shrugged off as the cost of doing business"."Let's hope TikTok reviews its practices thoroughly and make sure that it respects children's privacy and safety proactively in the future," she said.

Louise Devine has told the BBC she allows her 10-year-old son to use TikTok, though she monitors his usage.

"I know exactly what he's posting and I do monitor who he's talking to. Obviously, I can't monitor what he sees," she said.

"I don't think I would stop him from using it because all his friends are using it and I think that would be quite unfair, however, I do think that if I could have a way of monitoring what he sees that would be better for me."


Trouble for TikTok


TikTok is allowed to appeal against the scale of the fine and has 28 days to make representations. If successful, the ICO could reduce the final amount.

The regulator has a maximum of 16 weeks, from issuing the notice of a proposed fine to delivering its final verdict.

Fines received by the ICO go back to the Treasury.

But there may be further concerns for TikTok as the UK Online Safety Bill, due to be passed in the coming months, requires strict age verification processes by social networks.

It has been suggested firms will be fined for breaches - but a £12.7m fine is a small amount compared to the $80bn (£64bn) revenue reported to have been made by TikTok's parent company ByteDance, a Chinese tech company, in 2022.

And it comes as the platform is already under global scrutiny over security concerns.

Many Western countries are taking measures against TikTok over fears users' data will be shared with the Chinese government.

The app has been banned on government devices in Canada, Belgium, Denmark, New Zealand, Taiwan, the UK, the US and for anyone working at the European Commission.

TikTok boss Shou Zi Chew was grilled in Congress over its safety and tried to reassure lawmakers that users' data was secure.

The BBC has advised staff to delete TikTok from work phones.

AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

TechDigits
Close
0:00
0:00
Nvidia Joins Tech Giants as First Chipmaker to Reach $1 Trillion Valuation
AI ‘extinction’ should be same priority as nuclear war – experts
Prominent Hacker Forum RaidForums Suffers Substantial Data Breach
Nvidia CEO Huang says firms, individuals without AI expertise will be left behind
WPP Revolutionizes Advertising with NVIDIA's AI Powerhouse
TikTok Sues Montana Over Law Banning the App
Mobile phone giant Vodafone to cut 11,000 jobs globally over three years as new boss says its performance not good enough
Warren Buffett Sells TSMC Shares Over Concerns About Taiwan's Stability
'Godfather Of AI' Geoffrey Hinton Quits Google To Warn Of The Tech's Dangers
Vermont Man Charged with Stalking After Secretly Tracking Woman with Apple AirTag
Elon Musk Statements About Tesla Autopilot Could Be 'Deepfakes,' Lawyers Claim. Judge Evette Pennypacker Does Not Understand How Far and Advanced This Technology Became
AT&T's Successful Test of Satellite-Based Phone Call Raises Possibility of Widespread Coverage
Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Seymour Hersh slams New York Times' pro-government stance and treatment of sources
Fox News Settles their case with Dominion Voting Systems for a staggering $787.5 MILLION
The G-7 aims to make global crypto regulations tougher
China and Brazil have signed a new deal that will allow them to trade in their own currencies, bypassing the US dollar as an intermediary
Elon Musk and Others Call for Pause on A.I., Citing ‘Profound Risks to Society’
U.S. charges FTX's Bankman-Fried with paying $40 million bribe
Fallen 'Crypto King' Who Owes Millions to Investors Was Kidnapped and Tortured
Regulators blame social media for SVB's rapid collapse: 'Complete game changer'
AOC explains why she opposes banning TikTok
Gordon Moore, a co-founder of Intel Corporation, died at 94
Donald Trump arrested – Twitter goes wild with doctored pictures
Credit Suisse's Scandalous History Resulted in an Obvious Collapse - It's time for regulators who fail to do their job to be held accountable and serve as an example by being behind bars.
Russian Hackers Preparing New Cyber Assault Against Ukraine
A brief banking situation report
Elon Musk Is Planning To Build A Town In Texas For His Employees
The Silicon Valley Bank’s collapse effect is spreading around the world, affecting startup companies across the globe
Market Chaos as USDC Loses Peg to USD after $3.3 Billion Reserves Held by Silicon Valley Bank Closed.
Banking regulators close SVB, the largest bank failure since the financial crisis
In a major snub to Downing Street's Silicon Valley dreams, UK chip giant Arm has dealt a serious blow to the government's economic strategy by opting for a US listing
It's the question on everyone's lips: could a four-day workweek be the future of employment?
Corruption and Influence Buying Uncovered in International Mainstream Media: Investigation Reveals Growing Disinformation Mercenaries
Being a Tiktoker might be expensive…
China's top tech firms, including Alibaba, Tencent, Baidu, NetEase, and JD.com, are developing their own versions of Open AI's AI-powered chatbot, ChatGPT
This shocking picture, showing how terrible is the results of the earthquake in Turkey
The desk of King Carlos Alberto of Sardinia has many secret compartments
Charlie Munger, calls for a ban on cryptocurrencies in the US, following China's lead
First generation unopened iPhone set to fetch more than $50,000 at auction.
Almost 30% of professionals say they've tried ChatGPT at work
Interpol seeks woman who ran elaborate exam cheating scam in Singapore
What is ChatGPT?
Tesla reported record profits and record revenues for 2022
Microsoft is finalising plans to become the latest technology giant to reduce its workforce during a global economic slowdown
Tesla slashes prices globally by as much as 20 percent
After Failing To Pay Office Rent, Twitter May Sell User Names
FTX fraud investigators are digging deeper into Sam Bankman-Fried's inner circle – and reportedly have ex-engineer Nishad Singh in their sights
TikTok CEO Plans to Meet European Union Regulators
U.S. Moves to Seize Robinhood Shares, Silvergate Accounts Tied to FTX
Coinbase to Pay $100 Million in Settlement With New York Regulator
×