• Home
  • Apps
  • Apps News
  • TikTok May Face GBP 27 Million Fine Over Potential Breach of UK Law, Failure to Protect Children's Privacy

TikTok May Face GBP 27 Million Fine Over Potential Breach of UK Law, Failure to Protect Children's Privacy

TikTok may have processed the data of children under 13 without appropriate parental consent, as well as “special category data” without legal basis.

TikTok May Face GBP 27 Million Fine Over Potential Breach of UK Law, Failure to Protect Children's Privacy

The commissioner said TikTok may have failed to provide transparent information to its users

Highlights
  • Britain's government is pushing through its online safety bill
  • The legal document covered the period from May 2018 to July 2020
  • The body said its findings are not final
Advertisement

TikTok could face a GBP 27 million (roughly Rs. 236 crore) fine in the UK over a possible breach of UK data protection law by failing to protect children's privacy when they are using the video-sharing platform.

The UK Information Commissioner's Office said Monday that it has issued the social media company a legal document that precedes a potential fine. It said TikTok may have processed the data of children under 13 without appropriate parental consent, and processed “special category data” without legal grounds to do so.

The commissioner said “special category data” included ethnic and racial origin, political opinions, religious beliefs and sexual orientation.

It also said TikTok may have failed to provide transparent, easily understood information to its users. The legal document covered the period from May 2018 to July 2020.

Information Commissioner John Edwards said the body's provisional view was that TikTok “fell short” of providing proper data privacy protections. The body said its findings are not final and that it will consider any representations from TikTok before making a final decision.

“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," said a statement released by TikTok, which is owned by the Chinese company ByteDance.

Britain's government is pushing through its online safety bill, which requires technology companies to protect children from harmful content.

The Information Commissioner's Office said it has six other ongoing investigations into companies that do not appear to have taken their responsibilities around child safety seriously enough.


Can Moto's new premium phones take on iPhone, OnePlus, and Samsung? We discuss this on Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.
Affiliate links may be automatically generated - see our ethics statement for details.
Comments

For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who'sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube.

Further reading: TikTok, ByteDance
Twitter to Depose Tesla CEO Elon Musk, Known for 'Combative' Testimony, Ahead of Upcoming Legal Battle
Elon Musk, Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal Said to Postpone Depositions Ahead of Upcoming Trial
Share on Facebook Gadgets360 Twitter Share Tweet Snapchat Share Reddit Comment google-newsGoogle News
 
 

Advertisement

Follow Us

Advertisement

© Copyright Red Pixels Ventures Limited 2024. All rights reserved.
Trending Products »
Latest Tech News »