In the news: TikTok fined a record 345 million euros by the European Union
The social network TikTok is at the heart of the news with a record fine of 345 million euros imposed by the European Union for violating data protection rules for minor users. This sanction, imposed by the Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC) on behalf of the EU, follows an investigation opened in September 2021.
The offenses alleged against TikTok concern the period from July 31 to December 31, 2020. The DPC noted several breaches, in particular the fact that children’s accounts were set as public by default when they registered on the platform. In addition, the “family connection” mode allowing parent-child accounts to be linked did not always verify the identity of the associated user.
Despite an age limit of 13, TikTok would not have sufficiently taken into account the risks run by younger users who managed to create an account. In response, TikTok indicated that it had modified these features and settings since the period covered by the investigation, emphasizing that it had made the accounts of users under 16 private by default.
This fine of 345 million euros comes in addition to those already imposed on TikTok by other countries. In 2019, he was ordered to pay $5.7 million in the United States, followed by a fine of 750,000 euros in the Netherlands in 2021 and 12.7 million pounds in the United Kingdom in April 2023 for similar facts.
The announcement of this fine comes in a context of strengthening controls and regulations on data protection, both in Europe and in the United States. The authorities are seeking to impose stricter measures on tech giants, such as TikTok and Gafam (Google, Amazon, Facebook and Apple), to guarantee the security and confidentiality of users, particularly minors.
This record sanction serves as a reminder of the importance for social networks to take into account the specificities linked to use by children, and to put in place adequate protection measures. It also highlights the importance of users being aware of the risks of managing their personal data on online platforms, so that they can exercise control over their online privacy and security.