TikTok Is Hit With $368 Million Fine Under Europe’s Strict Data Privacy Rules

LONDON, England – European regulators fined TikTok $368 million on Friday for failing to protect children’s privacy, the first time the popular short video-sharing app has been penalized for violating Europe’s rigorous data privacy standards.

Ireland’s Data Protection Commission, the key privacy regulator for Big Tech corporations with European headquarters primarily in Dublin, announced a 345 million euro fine and reprimand for infractions stretching back to the second half of 2020.

According to the inquiry, the sign-up process for teen users resulted in default settings that made their accounts public, allowing anyone to view and comment on their recordings. These default settings also created a risk to youngsters under 13, who got access to the platform despite being prohibited.

Furthermore, a “family pairing” tool intended for parents to manage settings was not stringent enough, allowing adults to enable direct messaging for users aged 16 and 17 without their knowledge. According to the watchdog, it also steered teen users towards more “privacy intrusive” options when joining up and sharing films.

TikTok issued a statement stating that it disagrees with the ruling, “particularly the level of the fine imposed.”

On Friday, European regulators fined TikTok $368 million for failing to protect children’s privacy.

The company pointed out that the regulator’s concerns centered on features and settings that had been in place for three years. TikTok said it implemented modifications well before the inquiry began in September 2021, such as making all accounts for teenagers under 16 private by default and prohibiting direct messaging for 13- to 15-year-olds.

“Most of the decision’s criticisms are no longer relevant as a result of measures we introduced at the start of 2021 — several months before the investigation began,” Elaine Fox, TikTok’s head of privacy for Europe, said in a blog post.

Since EU privacy legislation was enacted in 2018, the Irish regulator has been chastised for not moving quickly enough in its probes against Big Tech corporations. German and Italian regulators disputed sections of a draught ruling released a year ago, further postponing it.

To avoid new bottlenecks, the 27-nation bloc’s Brussels headquarters has been tasked with enforcing new regulations to stimulate digital competition and clean up social media content — rules aimed at maintaining the bloc’s status as a global leader in IT regulation.

On Friday, European regulators fined TikTok $368 million for failing to protect children’s privacy.

The Irish authority also investigated TikTok’s techniques for determining if users are at least 13 years old but found no violations.

The agency is still investigating whether TikTok complied with the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation when it moved user data to China, where its owner, ByteDance, is based.

TikTok has been accused of posing a security risk because of concerns that users’ sensitive information could wind up in China. To address those concerns, it has begun a drive to localize European user data, launching a data center in Dublin this month, the first of three on the continent.

Instagram, WhatsApp, and its parent company, Meta, are among the other internet behemoths punished with large fines by the Irish regulator last year.

SOURCE – (AP)