The well-known video-sharing application known as TikTok might be subject to a fine of around $29 million, or £27 million, in the United Kingdom for failing to safeguard the personal information of minors.
The decision made by the British government comes at a time when the United States government is attempting to address concerns over the country’s national security in relation to TikTok, which is controlled by the massive Chinese internet company ByteDance.
TikTok expressed its disagreement with the conclusions of the Information Commissioner’s Office in a statement, pointing out that such results were just preliminary. In the statement, it was said that “although we appreciate the ICO’s responsibility in ensuring privacy in the U.K., we disagree with the preliminary opinions given and expect to officially react to the ICO in due time.”
One year after Britain enacted extensive new internet safeguards for youngsters dubbed the Children’s Code, users are now complaining that TikTok violates their privacy.
In order to comply with these regulations, online businesses, including as social networks and platforms for playing video games, are required to develop their services and features with the safety and wellbeing of children in mind. The rules prohibit online services from tracking children’s precise locations and require online services that are likely to be used by children to enable the highest privacy settings for young users. In addition, the rules require online services that are likely to be used by children to enable those settings.
Popular social media applications such as YouTube, Snap, TikTok, and Instagram all made announcements in the months leading up to the Children’s Code going into force in Britain last year that they would be increasing the safeguards they provide for children.
The inquiry of TikTok, as stated by British authorities, was a part of a much larger effort in the United Kingdom to verify that corporations are complying with the new regulations.
Two weeks ago, the state of California passed a comprehensive new internet safety rule for kids that was inspired by the work that the British government has been making. The California Age-Appropriate Design Code Act is the name of the brand new piece of law that is scheduled to go into effect in 2024.
