TikTok May Be Fined $29 Million in the UK for Failing to Protect Children's Privacy

After an investigation found that TikTok may have violated UK data protection law by failing to protect children's privacy using the video-sharing app, Britain may punish TikTok with a $28 million or £27 million fine.

According to the investigation, TikTok failed to give its users the necessary information transparency and may have collected information about children under 13 years old without getting parental authorization.

Reuters reported that TikTok and TikTok Information Technologies UK Ltd. had received a "notice of intent" from Britain's data protection agency Information Commissioner's Office (ICO).

In a statement, Information Commissioner John Edwards said that "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."

A TikTok spokesperson told Reuters that while they respect the ICO's role in protecting privacy in the country, they disagree with the initial views expressed and plan to formally respond to the ICO "in due course."

According to the ICO's preliminary assessment, TikTok violated UK data protection laws between May 2018 and July 2020.

TikTok Violates the UK's Children's Code

TikTok has received children's privacy complaints after Britain instituted the Children's Code, a new extensive law that provides online protection to children.

According to the new law, internet services, such as social networks and game servers, must create their features and products with children in mind.

The regulations also prevent online services from tracking children's exact locations and mandate that they enable the highest security settings for young users, the New York Times reported.

Popular social media giants, including YouTube, Instagram, Snap, and TikTok, had announced increasing child protection before the Children's Code was enacted in Britain last year.

British officials noted that the TikTok probe was a part of a larger initiative in the UK to make sure that businesses adhere to the new regulations.

"We are currently looking into how over 50 different online services are conforming with the Children's Code," said Edwards.

Some TikTok Trends Are Alarming

Some TikTok trends are alarming not only to the experts but also to many Tiktok users. In recent weeks, many users have reported an escalating number of inappropriate videos, particularly the "body checking" videos, taking over the For You Pages (FYP).

Body checking is the latest trend that puts a lot of attention on mostly young women's bodies in ways that would not usually be noticed. It is a new way of seeking confidence and information about the appearance, size, or look of someone's body.

Some trends and sounds openly promote TikTok users to talk about their weight and body shape, while in other videos, people use filters and baggy clothes to draw attention to certain parts of their bodies.

They get millions of views and are often met with comments like "I'm not hungry anymore" or "skipping dinner," which raises red flags about the platform's role in promoting pro-anorexia (pro-ana) and disordered eating material, the New York Post reported.

Meanwhile, California recently passed a new law governing children's internet safety modeled after the British initiative. The law, known as the California Age-Appropriate Design Code Act, will take effect on July 1, 2024.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Bert Hoover

Watch: TikTok Could Face £27m Fine for Endangering Children - From GBNews