TikTok news: The United Kingdom regulator has slapped a fine on the Chinese-owned video-sharing platform TikTok for almost USD 16 million for violating a number of 'data protection laws', including children's personal information without consent.
The UK's information commissioner's office fined TikTok USD 15.9 million and estimated that over 1 million children under the age of 13 were allowed to use the video-sharing network in contravention of its own policies. in 2020, news agency ANI reported citing CNN.
Earlier on April 4, the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) stated that the video-sharing platform had not done enough to see who, at what age, the audience is accessing their platform.
TikTok fined for breaching rule between 2018-20
It also alleged that TikTok also failed to take action to remove underage children and hadn't provided proper information to users about how their data was being collected and used. The fine applies to rule breaches between May 2018 and July 2020.
"There are laws in place to make sure your children are as safe in the digital world as they are in the physical world. TikTok did not abide by those laws," John Edwards, the UK Information Commissioner said. He added, "TikTok should have known better. TikTok should have done better."
Several countries banned Chinese-owned video-sharing app
It is worth mentioning here that the fine comes as a string of Western countries turned their back on the Chinese-owned video streaming platform. Earlier, Australia, France, Britain, Canada, New Zealand and India, in a very initial phase, banned the TikTok app from all devices with access to the country's parliament by the end of March.
(With ANI inputs)
