TikTok, the popular Chinese-owned short-video platform, is facing a hefty fine of 345 million euros (equivalent to $370 million) for violating European Union privacy laws concerning the handling of children’s personal data. This penalty was imposed by the main regulatory authority in the European Union.
During the period spanning from July 31, 2020, to December 31, 2020, TikTok was found to have breached several EU privacy regulations, according to the statement issued by Ireland’s Data Protection Commissioner (DPC). TikTok responded to this by stating its intention to revise its privacy materials to provide clearer distinctions between public and private accounts. Furthermore, the platform plans to automatically set up private accounts for new users aged 16 to 17 starting later this month.
The DPC has granted TikTok a three-month window to rectify all non-compliant data processing practices that were identified.
Additionally, the DPC is conducting a separate investigation into TikTok’s transfer of personal data to China and whether this aligns with EU data protection laws when data is sent to countries outside the EU. In March, the DPC indicated that it was in the process of drafting a preliminary decision for this investigation.
