European regulators slapped TikTok with a $368 million fine on Friday for failing to protect children’s privacy, the first time that the popular short video-sharing app has been punished for breaching Europe’s strict data privacy rules.
Ireland’s Data Protection Commission, the lead privacy regulator for Big Tech companies whose European headquarters are largely in Dublin, said it was fining TikTok 345 million euros and reprimanding the platform for the violations dating to the second half of 2020.
The investigation found that the sign-up process for teen users resulted in settings that made their accounts public by default, allowing anyone to view and comment on their videos. Those default settings also posed a risk to children under 13 who gained access to the platform even though they’re not allowed.
Also, a “family pairing" feature designed for parents to manage settings wasn’t strict enough, allowing adults to turn on direct messaging for users aged 16 and 17 without their consent. And it nudged teen users into more “privacy intrusive” options when signing up and posting videos, the watchdog said.
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As a Product Manager of multiple apps for a FANG company, I can say they were given multiple warnings before any fine is ever given. It’s not like this would have been on oversight. This was willfully choosing to ignore the law and thinking they would just get away with it. Companies also receive more than a years notice that they need to comply so this was again not a surprise to them.
Fine amounts are also not a surprise. They are typically a percent of revenue and anyone with a calculator can predict a fine.
In the US the fine would be 10% of that, so they’re used to just getting away with slipping some pocket change and continuing with business as usual
If the fine is less than 100% then it’s just a fee not a fine
Fuck off with this bullshit.
What? If you’d say 100% of profit, it would make at least some sense, but 100% of revenue doesn’t make any.
It needs to be a punishment or they consider it cost of business, it we say % of profit then they start employing Hollywood style accounting where nothing is ever profitable
I’m pretty sure that TikTok can’t afford paying $400 million fine every month or so as “cost of doing business”, so they will fix the issue pretty quickly.
Yep that’s my point, we gotta stop be lax with these oversteps
Your original post implied that 400 million is lax.
I do not see it in the article that the fine was repeating monthly until they fix these issues? Can you show me where it says that?
Because it is, they made so much more than that and have harmed these kids lives by hooking them into social media so early
They aren’t being fined $400 million every month.
They are going to get fined until they fix the problem. The interval is not defined, it’s up to the discretion of the office.
