The UK data regulator fined TikTok £12.7 million ($15.9 million) for collecting children’s personal information in a way it said could have been used to deliver harmful content, amid mounting concerns over the platform’s use of data.
(Bloomberg) — The UK data regulator fined TikTok £12.7 million ($15.9 million) for collecting children’s personal information in a way it said could have been used to deliver harmful content, amid mounting concerns over the platform’s use of data.
The Information Commissioner’s Office said in a statement Tuesday it estimated that TikTok had 1.4 million users under 13 in in the UK in 2020, despite its own terms of service preventing children of that age from creating an account. TikTok used children’s personal data without parental consent and failed to carry out adequate checks, according to the ICO.
The fine comes amid a crackdown on TikTok in the US, Europe and other allies, as politicians cite concerns about links with the app’s Chinese-backed parent company, ByteDance Ltd. Bans on the use of TikTok on some government-issued devices have been introduced in many countries, including in the UK.
Children’s data “may have been used to track them and profile them, potentially delivering harmful, inappropriate content at their very next scroll,” Information Commissioner John Edwards said in the statement.
The investigation found that between May 2018 and July 2020 the video-sharing platform breached the UK version of Europe’s data rules, the General Data Protection Regulation.
“We invest heavily to help keep under 13s off the platform and our 40,000-strong safety team works around the clock to help keep the platform safe for our community,” a TikTok spokesperson said.
The spokesperson said TikTok disagreed with ICO’s decision and executives will “review the decision and are considering next steps.”
The ICO said a concern had been raised internally with senior employees about children under 13 using the platform and not being removed, and in the regulator’s view TikTok did not respond adequately.
In September, the ICO previously set out a possible £27 million fine for the video-sharing service, but the watchdog decided not to pursue a provisional finding about the use of so-called special category data, which relates to user characteristics such as ethnicity and sexual orientation.
(Updates with TikTok comment starting in sixth paragraph.)
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