UK Fines TikTok $16 Million for Collecting Kids’ Data

The British government privacy watchdog imposed a nearly $16 million fine on popular Chinese social media app TikTok for misusing children’s data.

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) in the UK charged TikTok with illegal data collection from children and violation of British laws, according to ABC News. The app allegedly allowed over a million underage children to create accounts, breaching TikTok’s own terms.

The news of the fine comes as the platform is under global scrutiny for national security threats and privacy concerns linked to its close ties with China’s Communist Party.

“They did not do enough to check who was using their platform or take sufficient action to remove the underage children who were using their platform,” said Information Commissioner John Edwards in a press release.

British laws require parental consent before collecting any online data of children. Though TikTok’s terms enforce the minimum age limit of 13 years, the app still allowed 1.4 million British children under 13 years to use the service last year.

“There are laws in place to make sure our children are as safe in the digital world as they are in the physical world,” Edwards said. “TikTok did not abide by those laws.”

TikTok, however, disputed the allegations against the platform.

In the US, TikTok and its CEO Shou Zi Chew have faced bipartisan scrutiny over national security concerns. During a House hearing last month, Chew refused to verify that ByteDance, the Chinese-controlled parent company, could seize user data, according to the Free Beacon. Sens. John Thune (R., S.D.) and Mark Warner (D., Va.) had noted earlier that the Chinese-controlled app is “ultimately required to do the bidding of Chinese intelligence services, should they be called upon to do so.”