The European Union fined TikTok €345 million For failing to protect the privacy of minors in accordance with strict EU data protection rules.
Tik Tok is based in Dublin, and the Irish Data Protection Commission, acting on behalf of the European Union, has also ordered the social media giant To adapt its services to the regulations within a period of three months.
TikTok Technology Limited will have to pay “Administrative fines totaling 345 million euros” And adjust its operations in accordance with the regulations within three months, as announced in a press release issued by the Irish Data Protection Commission (CPD), which acts on behalf of the European Union.
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The fine comes after a two-year investigation Violations that occurred during the period from July to December 2020. The app is very popular among young people, and Irish authorities concluded in their decision that minors had signed up in a way that made their accounts public by default.
Other problems were related to the method “family contact”, which allows you to link a parent’s TikTok account to a teen’s account. According to the ruling, the company did not verify whether the linked user was really the parent or guardian.
Furthermore, although the platform is theoretically intended for users over the age of 13, the CPD finds that TikTok did not properly take into account And the risks it entails for young peopleDespite everything, they managed to create an account.
Tik Tok “I respectfully disagree with the decision, particularly regarding the level of the fine imposed.”A company spokesperson said in a statement sent to AFP, adding that the company was “evaluating next steps” without commenting on whether it would resume.
“Criticisms of CPD focus on features and settings It was in effect three years ago, and we changed it shortly after that, the company argued, noting, for example, that all accounts of children under 16 are now private by default.
Nearly 17 million small accounts were deleted
The company claims to closely monitor the age of its users, and specifically says it has deleted nearly 17 million accounts worldwide in the first three months of 2023 alone. On suspicion of belonging to minors under the age of 13.
The Irish Data Protection Authority is competent to act on behalf of the EU because TikTok’s main organization in Europe is located in Ireland.
The European Commission is not the first executive body to impose sanctions on TikTok For not protecting the private data of minors. The social network was fined approximately 5 million euros by the United States in 2019, and 750,000 euros by the Netherlands in 2021. The United Kingdom imposed a fine of approximately 15 million euros in April last year for similar violations. TikTok said it is evaluating how to respond to the latest fine.
Social networks are periodically accused It has harmful effects on younger usersfor example, by exposing them too much to other people’s seemingly perfect lives or to inappropriate advertisements.
Source: Euronews
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