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UK investigating how TikTok handles children’s data and security

The internet is great for a myriad opportunities, but it also carries with it some danger, especially when it comes to how data and security is handled. One app that has now come under the spotlight for similar concerns is TikTok, with the UK government now looking into the social media/video platform.

The move comes after the US Federal Trade Commission fined TikTok $5.7 million for for breaking the country’s child privacy laws. Now the Guardian is reporting that the UK’s information commissioner, Elizabeth Denham, told parliament that a probe into the app began in February this year.

“We are looking at the transparency tools for children,” Denham told the Guardian earlier this week. “We’re looking at the messaging system, which is completely open, we’re looking at the kind of videos that are collected and shared by children online. We do have an active investigation into TikTok right now, so watch this space,” she added.

Along with looking at how the app handles children’s data and security, Denham says that her team will also be investigating whether the company that owns TikTok, ByteDance, violates GDPR rules too.

As for how ByteDance feels about the current investigation, they explained in a comment to the Guardian it plans to comply fully.

“We cooperate with organizations such as the ICO to provide relevant information about our product to support their work. Ensuring data protection principles are upheld as a top priority for TikTok,” a spokesperson said.

With the aforementioned FTC investigation and fine happening while TikTok was still in its previous iteration as Musical.ly, it should be interesting to see if the company’s new incarnation has learned from its past data and security mistakes.

[Image – Photo by Diego Passadori on Unsplash]
[Source – The Guardian]

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