The Dutch Data Protection Authority (AP) has sanctioned the video app TikTok with a fine of 750.000 EUR for having breached children’s privacy.
Information that Dutch users, most of them children, have received by TikTok during the installation and the usage of the app were in English and not easy to understand. It was not offering a Dutch privacy policy, so TikTok has not explained adequately how the app recollect, process and uses personal data. This is in contrast with the privacy legislation, where the main principle is that it shall be always clear what happens to your personal data.
In Netherlands, a lot of children have TikTok on their phones. AP has started a wide investigation on this app since the last year, due to worries about children’s privacy.
Children are seen like a vulnerable group by the legislation. They are less aware of their actions. This is particularly true for their personal data processing by social media. This is why children receives a extra protection by the privacy legislation.
Transfers of the investigations about TikTok
The supervision of the company without a registered office in Europe shall be carried out by all the European Member States, meanwhile it is carried out by the European Member state with the central office.
The Authority is transferring all the results of the investigation to the Irish Data Protection Authority. At the beginning TikTok has not a registered office in Europe and the Authority has been able to detect it by Netherlands, but during investigations of the app. Tiktok it has been affirmed defiantly in Ireland.
Since then, AP has been authorized to pronounce itself on the privacy policy of TikTok, because the breach has been stopped. It is now part of the Irish Supervisory Authority to complete the investigation and takes a final decision on other possible breaches of the privacy on which AP has investigated.
Measures against the digital bait and the online bullying
AP has given results of its research to TikTok at the beginning of October of last year. Subsequently, TikTok has compromised and implemented different changes in order to make TikTok more secure for children under 16 years old.
A difficult point remains that it is still possible for children pretend to be older at the time of the registration and take more risks.
Changes
With about 3.5 million users in Netherlands, TikTok is one of the most famous app now. According to the Authority is very funny make videos and see what other people are doing.
But there also some people with bad intentions on TikTok. Who is using the images for a investable distribution, bully or solicitations; digital baits for children. AP thinks that it is right that TikTok has brought some changes.
More parental control
In addition, parents have acquired a better control on account of their children. They can now manage privacy settings of their son also by their account and the fruition of the family pairing.
The Authority is pleased that parents can manage settings on privacy of their son’s TikTok account. Anyway, it invites parents to keep in contact with their sons on what they are doing online, to demonstrate interest on what video they realize and to what they refer to and talk about reactions that they are exchanging on TikTok.
TikTok has now presented an appeal against the sanction.
SOURCE: AUTORITA’ PER LA PROTEZIONE DEI DATI DEI PAESI BASSI – AP