TikTok faces EU fine for violating children's privacy

By Aysu Bicer

LONDON (AA) — TikTok is facing a potential fine in the European Union amounting to millions of dollars due to a violation of children's privacy, as declared by the bloc's data protection regulator.

The European Data Protection Board has issued a definitive verdict regarding the Chinese-owned video-sharing platform's handling of children's data.

Following TikTok's legal objections to a previous ruling in Ireland, where the company's European headquarters are located, the regulator has taken a decisive "dispute resolution decision."

The fine is expected to be issued within the next four weeks.

The ruling stems from an investigation launched in 2021 by the data protection commissioner in Ireland and assessed TikTok's adherence to EU data protection regulations and its practices related to the data of individuals aged 13-17.

In accordance with the EU's Digital Services Act, major online platforms including TikTok, Google and Facebook will be obligated to monitor and remove illicit content from their platforms, disallow specific advertising methods and collaborate with authorities by sharing data.

Previously, the UK's data regulatory body imposed a fine of £12.7 million (over $16 million) on TikTok, a result of the platform's unauthorized handling of data from 1.4 million children under the age of 13 who had utilized the platform without obtaining parental consent.