Member-only story
TikTok Facing Fines Over Children’s Privacy
Meta back in May, 2023 faced a historic fine of $1.3 billion for transferring data from users in the EU to the United States (U.S.). It looks like TikTok will be sanctioned in the coming days or weeks based on similar violations.
According to a Malwarebytes Labs report, the European Protection Board will be expected to fine TikTok for violating the privacy of young children. This incident stemmed from 2021 when the Dutch DPA imposed a fine of $820,000 on Tiktok.
The story does not stop there with TikTok’s transgression. When younger users, specifically children, during the app’s installation and usage the privacy statement was not offered in Dutch but in English instead. Under Dutch privacy laws users are to be provided with transparent information on what will happen to their own data.
As a result of the Dutch probe, the commissioner in Ireland investigated the incident and found more violations. It identified that TikTok mishandled personal data for its younger users and its age verification filter did not offer privacy protections.
