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China-owned social media site TikTok has been sued for £27m ($29m) after UK authorities found it may have violated UK data protection laws by failing to protect children’s privacy may face fines of
On Monday, the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) said in a statement that video-sharing platforms may have processed data from children under the age of 13 without proper parental consent.
The ICO’s investigation also found that TikTok failed to provide users with appropriate information “in a concise, transparent, and easy-to-understand manner” and may have “processed special categories of data without a legal basis.” It turns out.
Authorities have issued a “Notice of Intent” to the company, a legal document that precedes a potential fine. That tentative view is that TikTok violated UK data protection law between May 2018 and July 2020.
“At this stage, the ICO should not conclude that there has actually been a breach of data protection laws or that financial penalties will ultimately be imposed,” the ICO added.
“We will carefully consider every statement from TikTok before making a final decision,” the ICO said.
“We all want our children to be able to learn and experience the digital world, but with appropriate data privacy protections. However, our tentative view is that TikTok does not meet that requirement.
“It’s clear that our efforts to better protect children online include working with organizations, but also enforcing measures where appropriate,” he added.
“In addition to this, we are currently investigating how over 50 different online services comply with the Children’s Policy, and for companies that offer digital services, our first In our view, we are investigating companies that have not taken responsibility for child safety.Seriously,” Edwards said.
Chinese Communist Party
TikTok is a very popular short-form video app that allows users to create and share videos. Started in China as ‘Douyin’ in September 2016, but internationally in September 2017 he relaunched as TikTok.
In July, UK telecommunications regulator Ofcom found that UK teenagers were turning away from traditional news channels and instead turning to Instagram, YouTube and TikTok.
In February, Casey Fleming, a cybersecurity expert and CEO of strategic advisory firm BlackOps Partners, said on EpochTV’s “Wide Angle” program that when people use TikTok, they provide information to the Chinese Communist Party’s intelligence agencies. warned that it might
Any personal information the app is collecting could be provided directly to the Chinese government, he warned, adding that various Chinese laws compel companies to cooperate with government authorities if asked. I made an offer.
“All your data on that phone,” Fleming said, “everything you do and everything stored on your phone will probably be sent abroad to be used against you. It is done,” he said.
“The Communist Party of China collects an enormous amount of data. It cannot be used against you today. may be used.
The Epoch Times reached out to TikTok for comment.
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Owen Evans is a UK-based journalist with a particular interest in civil liberties and free speech, covering stories from a wide variety of countries.
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