TikTok sued for illegal collection of information about children
Former England Children’s Commissioner Anne Longfield has filed a lawsuit against TikTok for illegally collecting information about children. Writes about this The Guardian. The former ombudsman claims that the video service violates the UK and the European Union laws on the protection of the personal data of children.
The lawsuit alleges that the company uses data from teenagers without the necessary consent and transparency. Longfield believes that parents and children are not sufficiently aware of the use of their personal information. Presumably, about 3.5 million children could be affected by this.
“We’re not trying to say it’s not fun. People needed this service during self-isolation, and it helped to survive this period. However, I believe that people should not pay for this with their personal data. Their personal information will be collected and shared with other companies for financial gain, even if they are unaware of it, ” Longfield said.
The ex-Commissioner for Children intends to stop processing data and pay compensation. The latter could be in the billions of pounds, but the exact amount has not been disclosed.
According to the Guardian, according to a recent study by Ofcom, a British non-governmental agency, 42% of children between the ages of 8 and 12 use TikTok. At the same time, the service has a minimum age limit of 13 years.
A TikTok spokesman called the claims unfounded. “Privacy and security are our top priorities, and we have robust tools and processes to protect all users, including teens,” the company said.
