Tiktok was fined a hefty €345 million for violation of the GDPR (The General Data Protection Regulation) requirements. The fine was a consequence of TikTok's mishandling of personal information, particularly that of children.
The Data Protection Commission is investigating TikTok, a popular social media platform with over 1.6 billion users worldwide. The Chinese company ByteDance owns it, and it's particularly popular among young people.
In 2020, accounts of users under 16 were automatically set to "public" by default allowing anyone to view.
Another concern revolves around the "family pairing" feature, which allows a teenager to link their TikTok account with a parent's. According to the DPC, TikTok failed to verify the identity of the associated user as the minor user's parent or guardian during this pairing process, and when posting videos.
In response, TikTok said in a statement that it strongly disagrees with the decision. Especially in terms of the substantial fine imposed. TikTok stressed that the fine doesn't match the alleged infractions.
TikTok said the DPC criticized old features and settings, but they have made important changes. Now, all users under 16 have their accounts set to "private" automatically.
The Ireland's Data Protection Commission has issued a significant directive concerning the social media platform TikTok. The Commission stated that TikTok must pay €345 million in fines and ensure compliance with general data protection regulation, gdpr for its data processing operations.
This move reflects the Commission's commitment to enforcing data privacy and security standards within the digital landscape.
Moreover, the Data Protection Commission emphasized the urgency of this matter by setting a tight deadline. TikTok has only three months to make required changes and meet GDPR compliance.
This development signals a significant step in upholding data privacy and accountability in the realm of social media platforms. It underlines the growing importance of safeguarding user data, especially with a focus on child user protection, within the digital sphere.
TikTok has appealed the fine to the European Union court
TikTok has taken legal action in Ireland's High Court, targeting both the DPC and Ireland's Attorney General in a parallel legal move. The platform vehemently opposes the penalties, and this legal challenge is a significant move in the dispute. The platform is doing everything it can to protect its position.
TikTok claims that the DPC's judgments and conclusions against the social media platform are invalid and should overturn them. The Commission will address the matter in October 2023.
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Last updated: October 19, 2023
