TikTok fined $5.7 million by FTC over alleged children’s privacy law violations
TikTok will pay $5.7 million in fines to settle accusations that it violated children’s privacy law, the Federal Trade Commission said today. The short-form video app and social network is also being required to gain parental approval for users under 13 years of age, to comply with federal law. All videos previously uploaded by people under the age of 13 will be removed as well.
The FTC alleged that TikTok “illegally collected personal information from children” by not obtaining their parents’ permission before they signed up, putting it in violation of COPPA — the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act. COPPA dictates that any app or website targeted at children, such as TikTok (and its former app, Musical.ly), must ask children under…
