The Chinese-owned short-video platform TikTok has been fined €345 million by Ireland’s Data Protection Commissioner (DPC) for violating privacy laws related to the handling of children’s data during a specific timeframe from July 31, 2020, to December 31, 2020. The DPC cited concerns regarding the platform’s management of children’s accounts as the basis for the fine.
During the aforementioned period, TikTok allegedly did not adequately verify whether users were actually parents or guardians when utilizing the “family pairing” feature. Additionally, accounts for users under the age of 16 were set to “public” by default, raising further privacy concerns.
Though TikTok implemented stricter parental controls for family pairing in November 2020 and changed the default setting for all registered users under 16 to “private” in January 2021, the company is still under investigation regarding the transfer of personal data to China and its compliance with EU data protections.
This development follows closely on the heels of CEO Shou Zi Chew’s recent appearance before the US Congress, where TikTok faced intense scrutiny and calls for a potential ban due to claims that Chinese engineers had access to US data.
In response to international regulatory challenges, TikTok has announced the launch of the TikTok Shop in the US, aiming to deepen its engagement in fintech. The new feature will allow users to discover and purchase products directly through shoppable videos and live streams in their For You feeds, fostering connections between brands, creators, and customers.