TikTok is facing a lawsuit filed by former England Commissioner for Children’s Rights Anne Longfield over how the platform collects and uses children’s data, the BBC reports.
The complaint was filed on behalf of millions of children in the UK and the EU who have used the extremely popular application among young people. If the court rules in favor of this complaint, the affected children could receive compensation of thousands of euros each.
On the other hand, TikTok says the complaint is unfounded and will fight it.
According to the complaint, TikTok collects children’s personal data, including telephone numbers, videos, exact location and biometric data, without transparency, without obtaining the necessary consent required by law and without minors or parents knowing what to do with this information.
In response, TikTok said: “Privacy and security are top priorities for TikTok and we have sound policies, processes and technologies to protect all users, especially teenagers. We believe that the claims have no basis and we intend to defend ourselves vigorously “.
TikTok has over 800 million users worldwide, and the parent company, ByteDance, made billions of dollars last year, the vast majority of which came from advertising revenue.
The complaint is launched on behalf of all children who have used TikTok since May 25, 2018, regardless of whether they have an account on the application or the privacy settings they have chosen. Minors who do not wish to be represented may specify this.
Longfield justified his action by saying that although all social networks collect information, TikTok had “excessive” data collection policies.
“TikTok is an extremely popular social platform that has helped children keep in touch with their friends in an incredibly difficult year. However, behind the songs and dances is something much more sinister, “she said.
Longfield also says parents have a “right to know” what private information is collected through TikTok’s “questionable data collection practices.”
