In the UK, TikTok must pay a fine of £12.7 million (CHF 14.5 million) for breaching children’s data protection.
The company allowed up to 1.4 million children under the age of 13 to open an account in the country in 2020 – despite its own rules prohibiting this. The British data protection authority Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) announced this on Tuesday. Children’s personal data was also used without parental consent, although this is required by UK law.
It was further said:
While some senior executives have raised concerns internally, the company has failed to respond adequately. “TikTok should have known better. TikTok should have done better,” said agency chief John Edwards. “Our fine of £12.7 million reflects the serious impact their mistakes could have had.”
Originally, the authority even imposed a fine of 27 million pounds. However, after objections from TikTok, it was decided not to pursue “the preliminary findings regarding the misappropriation” of some categories of data.
The regulator has now published a code for the protection of children in the digital world. The regulations are aimed at online services such as apps, gaming platforms and social media sites.
(yam/sda/awp/dpa)
Soource :Watson
I am Amelia James, a passionate journalist with a deep-rooted interest in current affairs. I have more than five years of experience in the media industry, working both as an author and editor for 24 Instant News. My main focus lies in international news, particularly regional conflicts and political issues around the world.
