TikTok to be fined. European Union has had enough
Jakub Tyszkowski,08.08.2023 15:45The European Data Protection Board (EDPB) will make TikTok millions of pounds poorer. The social media platform breached children privacy laws in the European Union.
The EDPB is the EU body responsible for ensuring consistent application of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The regulator had "adopted a dispute resolution decision" after TikTok raised objections to an earlier ruling made in Ireland, where the Chinese company's European headquarters are located.
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In 2021, the data protection commissioner in Ireland opened an investigation into TikTok. It concerned the app's compliance with the EU Data Protection Regulation and the service's handling of data of children aged 13 to 17.
Multi-million fine for TikTok
The investigation ended unsuccessfully for TikTok. The company can expect to be fined for several million pounds within a month, The Guardian suggests.
In July, TikTok agreed to a voluntary "stress test" at its Dublin headquarters. EU technology commissioner Thierry Breton said the company needed to do more work to meet EU requirements.
On 25 August, changes to TikTok will come into effect to improve the app's compliance with EU regulations. New features will include, among others, easier reporting of illegal content, the ability to deactivate personalised content and disable targeted ads for 13 to 17 year olds.
"We will continue to not only meet our regulatory obligations, but also strive to set new standards through innovative solutions," TikTok's announcement reads.
TikTokās problems in Europe
This is not the first time that TikTok will have to pay a fine. Earlier this year, the company was fined Ā£12.7 million in the UK for illegally processing the data of 1.4 million children under the age of 13.
The UK information commissioner announced at the time that the company had done "very little, if anything" to check who was using the platform and remove underage users. The corporation ignored internal warnings that it was flouting its own terms and conditions, The Guardian reports.
Sources: The Guardian, Press
