On Monday, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) said in a statement that TikTok could pay a fine of $29 million for breaching existing law in the United Kingdom that imposes penalties on networks that do not protect the data of its minor users.
The ICO said the Chinese social network “may have processed the data of children under the age of 13 without appropriate parental consent”.
It also found that the platform, which is very popular among young people, “did not provide enough information to its users in a concise, transparent and easy-to-understand manner”.
The watchdog sent the group a notice of intent, a legal document that precedes the potential fine.
“We all want children to be able to learn and experience the digital world, but with appropriate data privacy protections,” said Information Commissioner John Edwards.
“Companies that provide digital services have a legal obligation to establish such protection, but it is our provisional opinion that TikTok has not met this requirement.”
TikTok said it does not agree with the ICO.
“While we respect the role of the ICO in protecting privacy in the UK, we disagree with the initial views expressed and intend to formally respond to the ICO in a timely manner,” the short video platform said. It is a statement.
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