TikTok could be fined £27 million for failing to protect children’s privacy while using the platform.Infomation Guide Nigeria
The UK’s Information Commissioner‘s Office (ICO) discovered that the video-sharing platform may have processed under-13s’ data without their consent.
The breach occurred over more than two years, until July 2020, according to the watchdog, but no final conclusions have been reached.
TikTok says it disagrees with the findings, calling them “provisional.”
The ICO has issued a “notice of intent” to TikTok Inc and TikTok Information Technologies UK Limited, a legal document that precedes a potential fine.Jamb Result
The notice outlines the ICO’s preliminary conclusion that TikTok violated UK data protection law between May 2018 and July 2020.
The ICO investigation found the social platform may have:
- processed the data of children under the age of 13 without appropriate parental consent
- failed to provide proper information to its users in a concise, transparent and easily understood way
- processed special category data, without legal grounds to do so
Information Commissioner John Edwards said: “We all want children to be able to learn and experience the digital world, but with proper data privacy protections.
“Companies providing digital services have a legal duty to put those protections in place, but our provisional view is that TikTok fell short of meeting that requirement.”
But Mr Edwards continued: “I’ve been clear that our work to better protect children online involves working with organisations, but will also involve enforcement action where necessary.
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“In addition to this, we are currently looking into how over 50 different online services are conforming with the Children’s Code, and have six ongoing investigations looking into companies providing digital services who haven’t, in our initial view, taken their responsibilities around child safety seriously enough.”
The ICO said its findings in the notice were provisional, with no conclusion to be drawn at this stage that there had been any breach of data protection law.
It added: “We will carefully consider any representations from TikTok before taking a final decision.”
A TikTok spokesperson said: “This notice of intent, covering the period May 2018-July 2020, is provisional and as the ICO itself has stated, no final conclusions can be drawn at this time.
“While we respect the ICO’s role in safeguarding privacy in the UK, we disagree with the preliminary views expressed and intend to formally respond to the ICO in due course.“
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