UK Regulators Probe TikTok Over Child Data Privacy and Safety
UK regulators investigate TikTok for potential violations of children's data privacy and safety standards. The probe focuses on data collection practices and an open messaging system that exposes minors to adult contact.
UK regulators investigate TikTok over how the popular video app handles the personal data and safety of its underage users. The Information Commissioner's Office launches this active investigation after the U.S. Federal Trade Commission fines TikTok $5.7 million for breaking children's privacy laws.
Information commissioner Elizabeth Denham expresses serious concerns about the app's completely open messaging system, which potentially allows adult users to contact children. The probe examines the transparency tools provided to minors, the types of videos children share online, and how TikTok collects private data from its young user base.
The investigation determines whether TikTok violates the General Data Protection Regulation by failing to implement special protections required for underage users. ByteDance, the Chinese parent company valued at $75 billion, states that it cooperates with regulators and considers data protection principles to be a top priority.