The EU fines TikTok a record 368 million euros for violating user data protection

On Friday, September 15, the European regulator ordered the Chinese social network TikTok to pay a € 345 million fine. According to the Financial Times, the platform was punished for violating the EU’s strict data protection rules (GDPR) when processing information related to underage users.

It is worth noting that this is the largest fine TikTok has ever received from regulators.

The fine is the result of a two-year investigation into violations that were recorded on TikTok between July and December 2020. An investigation by the Irish Data Protection Commission found that TikTok had violated EU data protection rules by setting public default settings for the profiles of children aged 13−17. This means that any TikTok user can view the content of minors and contact them without any restrictions.

Representatives of the social network said that they did not agree with the charges or the fine. «The criticism focuses on features and settings that were introduced three years ago, and to which we made changes long before the investigation began, such as making all accounts under 16 closed by default,» the company said in a statement.

The EU regulator has given TikTok three months to bring its data processing in full compliance with the GDPR.

It should be added that in April, TikTok was fined £12.7 million ($ 15.88 million) in the UK for similar violations.

Earlier, it was reported that TikTok was using the geolocation of the Ukrainian military for its own internal needs. The Chinese collect information for their own intelligence when Ukrainian soldiers post any videos from the front line.