UK data protection watchdog investigating how TikTok uses children's personal data

The U.K.’s information extortion watchdog says that it's investigating however TikTok uses the idiosyncratic accusation of teenagers to present contented recommendations to them erstwhile they usage the societal media platform

LONDON -- The U.K.'s information extortion watchdog said Monday that it's investigating however TikTok uses the idiosyncratic accusation of teenagers to present contented recommendations to them erstwhile they usage the societal media platform.

The Information Commissioner's Office said that determination are increasing concerns astir however societal media platforms were utilizing information generated by children’s online enactment to powerfulness their proposal algorithms, and the imaginable for young radical to spot inappropriate oregon harmful contented arsenic a result.

The regulator said that it wanted to guarantee the robustness of TikTok's information procedures erstwhile it comes to utilizing the idiosyncratic accusation of teens ranging successful property from 13 to 17.

“It’s what they’re collecting, it’s however they work,” accusation commissioner John Edwards said. “I volition expect to find that determination volition beryllium galore benign and affirmative uses of children’s information successful their recommender systems."

“What I americium acrophobic astir is whether they are sufficiently robust to forestall children being exposed to harm, either from addictive practices connected the instrumentality oregon the platform, oregon from contented that they see, oregon from different unhealthy practices,” helium said.

As portion of the investigation, the regulator volition besides look into however online forum tract Reddit and image-sharing tract Imgur usage children's idiosyncratic information and however they estimation oregon verify a child's age.

TikTok, which is operated by Chinese exertion steadfast ByteDance, said successful a connection that it was “deeply committed to ensuring a affirmative acquisition for young radical connected TikTok.”

“Our recommender systems are designed and run nether strict and broad measures that support the privateness and information of teens, including industry-leading information features and robust restrictions connected the contented allowed successful teens’ feeds," it said.

In 2023, the regulator imposed a fine of 12.7 cardinal pounds (about $16 million) connected the video sharing app for misusing children's information and violating different protections for young users' idiosyncratic information.

The bureau said astatine the clip that TikTok didn’t adequately place and region children nether 13 from the platform, and that it allowed arsenic galore arsenic 1.4 cardinal children successful the U.K. nether 13 to usage the app successful 2020, contempt the platform’s ain rules prohibiting children that young from mounting up accounts.