Brazil’s data protection authority has fined ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company, roughly $30 million over allegations it failed to adequately protect the personal data of children and teenagers. The fine is part of Brazil’s recent push to ensure the safety of minors on social media.
Brazil’s data protection regulator said in its ruling that TikTok violated data protection law both for users logged into accounts and for guests browsing the platform. The company is accused of collecting and processing children’s and teenagers’ personal data without adequate safeguards or a valid legal basis.
According to the regulator’s estimate, TikTok may be processing the data of at least 8 million children and teenagers. The ruling also found structural weaknesses in the platform’s age-verification system.
10 days to appeal
ByteDance can appeal the Brazilian authority’s decision. The company has been given 10 days to do so.
Alongside the fine, the company has been ordered to delete all illegally collected data. The regulator has also directed TikTok to build a more effective, integrated framework to protect children’s and teenagers’ data.
The authority raised particular concern over TikTok’s “logged-out feed” feature, which lets users view videos and content without creating an account or logging in.
According to the regulator, this allows minors to bypass the age-verification process and use TikTok easily. The feature is available in Brazil but not in the United States or Europe, where users must be registered to view TikTok content.
Action against Discord too
Brazil’s concern over children’s and teenagers’ online safety is not limited to TikTok. Earlier this month, authorities ordered Discord, a social platform, to suspend livestreaming nationwide over similar allegations.
Authorities allege that a 13-year-old girl was encouraged to self-harm during a Discord livestream, and that she later died by suicide. Discord, a voice- and text-chat app popular among gamers, launched in 2015. (If you or someone you know is struggling with thoughts of self-harm, help is available in Bangladesh through Kaan Pete Roi at +880 9612-119911 or the national helpline at 999.)
Tightening control over minors’ online use
The government of Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and the country’s Supreme Court have been trying to impose greater controls on minors’ internet use. The results of these efforts have been mixed so far.
The push to tighten controls on minors’ social media use is not confined to Brazil alone. Several other countries, including Australia, Canada and Indonesia, have taken up similar measures.
As a result, pressure is mounting between technology companies and governments worldwide over children’s data protection, age verification, and controls on minors’ social media use.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report