Anne Longfield OBE is accusing TikTok and its parent company ByteDance of illegally collecting children’s personal information, which she claims violates UK and EU children’s data protection law. Children’s telephone numbers, videos, pictures, location and biometric (facial recognition) data has been reportedly illegally processed by the app, the claim outlines, arguing that TikTok collected the personal information without providing sufficient warning or consent required by law. Parents and children were also left in the dark about what the collected data is being used for, it alleges, adding it could be for the benefit of "unknown third parties".
The former children’s commissioner, who held the post between March 2015 and February, is partnering with law firm Scott + Scott to demand that TikTok stops processing and deletes all personal data linked to children in the UK and EU.
While the claim is being made on behalf of every child that has used the app since 25 May 2018, regardless of whether they have an account themselves or their account settings, children not wishing to be represented can opt out.
If successful, the claim could result in thousands of pounds of compensation per child, with total damages owed by the company potentially reaching billions of pounds. It estimates that more than 3.5 million affected children are based in the UK alone. Ms Longfield called the video app a “data collection service that is thinly-veiled as a social network,” accusing it of deliberately and successfully deceiving parents.
"TikTok is a hugely popular social media platform that has helped children keep in touch with their friends during an incredibly difficult year. However, behind the fun songs, dance challenges and lip-sync trends lies something far more sinister," she said "Parents and children have a right to know that private information, including phone numbers, physical location, and videos of their children are being illegally collected. TikTok appears set on making it as difficult as possible for millions of mothers and fathers to know who is benefiting from this information. We want to put a stop to TikTok's shadowy data collection practices, and demand that they delete all private information that has been illegally processed when children use the app."
TikTok, which has 800 million users worldwide, said it believed the claims "lacks merit" and that it planned to fight the case.
"Privacy and safety are top priorities for TikTok and we have robust policies, processes and technologies in place to help protect all users, and our teenage users in particular. We believe the claims lack merit and intend to vigorously defend the action," a spokesperson for the company said.
inews.co.uk
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