TikTok gets record fine
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) on Wednesday levied a $5.7 million fine against media app TikTok over allegations that it illegally collected personal information about children under 13.
The multimillion-dollar settlement is the largest civil penalty the FTC has obtained in a children’s privacy case, commissioners said. It comes as part of a settlement agreement between the agency and TikTok.
The FTC alleged that TikTok violated the federal child privacy law by collecting the “names, email addresses, and other personal information from users under the age of 13” without their parents’ permission. The Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) requires websites and apps to obtain parental consent when collecting and sharing data on young users.
“The operators of Musical.ly–now known as TikTok–knew many children were using the app but they still failed to seek parental consent before collecting names, email addresses, and other personal information from users under the age of 13,” Chairman Joe Simons said in a statement. “This record penalty should be a reminder to all online services and websites that target children: We take enforcement of COPPA very seriously, and we will not tolerate companies that flagrantly ignore the law.”
The alleged child privacy violations occurred before Musical.ly merged with TikTok last year. The popular app allows users to create and share lip-syncing videos.
The FTC said the app received “thousands of complaints from parents” about accounts that were created without parental permission. All user profiles on Musical.ly were automatically public, meaning their “profile bio, picture and videos” were available for viewing by other users.
Under the settlement, TikTok must take down all videos from children under 13.
TikTok in a statement on Wednesday said it will now require new users to verify their age and will work to verify the ages of users currently on the profile. The app said it will work to ensure that users under 13 access a “limited, separate app experience” replete with “safety and privacy protections.”
