UK Data Regulator Fines TikTok £12.7 M Over Children's Data Concerns

Facts

• The UK's Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has fined TikTok £12.7 M over claims that the platform was collecting the data of children under the age of 13 who were using the app without parental consent.¹
• The ICO investigation found that over 1.4 M children under the age of 13 were inappropriately accessing the video-sharing platform in 2020, in violation of British regulations requiring parental consent for organizations to use children's personal data.²
• ICO commissioner John Edwards stated that TikTok 'should have done better' in verifying the ages of users and in taking action to remove underage users from the platform, a charge the company denies. The fine applies to violations between May 2018 and July 2020.³
• In response to the fines, a TikTok spokesperson stated that the company 'works around the clock to help keep the platform safe.' They also reiterated their commitment to preventing underage users access to the app.⁴
• The ICO charged that TikTok's inadequate safety measures exposed children to data tracking and 'potentially harmful content,' though Edwards has also credited TikTok for introducing 'significantly more checks and balances' as the app bolsters their age verification system.⁵
• The Chinese-owned platform has faced mounting international criticism over security and privacy concerns, with the UK, Canada, US, and New Zealand, among others, banning the app on government devices.⁶

Sources: ¹Al Jazeera, ²New York Times, ³CNN, ⁴Yahoo news, ⁵Guardian and ⁶BBC News.

Narratives

• Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by Guardian. TikTok poses a danger to free nations the world over, and fines do not go far enough. TikTok's connection to the Chinese government makes it a national security threat that should be banned to ensure the safety of users and national institutions. Mishandling the data of children is bad, but the data potentially being funneled to the Chinese government and being used for information warfare is even worse. The threat that TikTok poses to privacy, mental health, and our susceptibility to fake news and misinformation makes it unacceptable for governments to keep treating it as just another tech company.
• Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by Washington Post. Governments the world over are leading a cynical assault against TikTok to foment anti-China sentiment. The charge that TikTok is sharing any user data with the Chinese government for nefarious purposes is unproven and tenuous, and the app hasn't thus far been shown to be committing any misdeeds greater than those any other social media platform is guilty of. There is nothing uniquely problematic about TikTok, and the platform has been transparent and cooperative with regulators to assuage their concerns. By singling out TikTok, governments are ignoring the need for comprehensive privacy protections that would do much more to protect users than the banning of a single app.

Predictions