The United States fines the video social network after warnings about the violation of privacy
United Kingdom
He has joined the United States in video application research TikTok for the use of the data of its minor users.
The British Parliament has opened a parliamentary commission to analyze the use of private information by this application of Chinese origin.
He app
It is a social network for the exchange of edited videos, generally in a very elaborate way, that allows to apply effects and music, and with a maximum duration of one minute.
To register for this application you need a minimum age of 13 years; however, there is no system that verifies that this is so, so cheat the software It is not complicated for minors.
The controversy with the data of minors
It is not new to TikTok. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the agency that regulates and protects consumers in the United States, has fined the company with $ 5.7 million for illegally collecting information from children under 13, without their parents' consent.
He has done so after several notices to the company about the significant percentage of users under the age allowed and following the complaint of users' parents. This sanction has motivated the British parliament to open the investigation, according to the Guardian newspaper.
The data
They are not the only problem the Asian company has faced: Bytedance, the company behind the app -And that acquired the application of videos Musical.ly- has already had to face different problems with the authorities because of the inappropriate content of some videos, so it was banned for a time in India (which currently concentrates a fifth of the users of the app).
Different studies of the We Are Social agency explain that TikTok It has 500 million users and 188 of them have registered in the first three months of 2019.
However, according to the entity that studies social networks, the application generates a great impact in Europe and, especially, in the United Kingdom, where they have a headquarters. The rise of this app is not insignificant, as brands such as Coca-Cola and Burberry bet on advertising in it.
The platform
It has taken different measures to favor its privacy and security policies during the first months of 2019. Among these actions, the application has added the possibility for users to apply filters to comments and prohibit words that they consider inappropriate.
In addition, a section on its website aimed exclusively at parents includes warnings about what is seen in the profiles of their children – even if they have them private – and a list of organizations that fight against bullying. (bullying) and that prevent suicides in teenagers.
“We cooperate with organizations like ICO to provide relevant information about our product and support their work. Protecting data is a priority for TikTok, ” the company explained to American television CNBC
Security in mobile applications
For minors, the British authorities are concerned.
Earlier this year, the United Kingdom already asked other companies such as Tinder and Grindr about the security measures that existed in these apps for minors, something that the Civil Guard in Spain also investigated.
