TikTok faces more data privacy concerns

TikTok was hit with European regulatory complaints on Tuesday over the platform’s processing of user data, as well as its efforts to protect children from inappropriate content.

The European Consumer Organization BEUC filed the complaints with the European Commission, and consumer organizations in 15 countries have alerted their authorities and urged investigations into TikTok’s conduct, according to the group.

The complaint alleges aspects of TikTok’s terms of service are “unclear, ambiguous and favour TikTok to the detriment of its users,” and that the company “fails to protect children and teenagers from hidden advertising and potentially harmful content on its platform.”

Additionally, the BEUC accused TikTok of breaching European Consumer rights by not clearly informing users about what data is collected and for what purpose, as required under the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation Law.

A TikTok spokesperson said the company welcomes a meeting with the BEUC to “listen to their concerns” and is open to hearing how it can improve.