Tik Tok is in the dock again and the reason is the data of millions of children

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Ann Longfield, the former Commissioner for Childhood in England, filed a lawsuit against the short video platform TikTok on Tuesday. The commissioner accused the TikTok platform of illegally collecting personal data for millions of children in the United Kingdom and Europe.

And Anne Longfield, on behalf of these children (under 16 years old in the European Union and 13 in the United Kingdom), filed a lawsuit against TikTok and its parent company, BitDance, in the hope of obtaining the compensation that could reach billions of pounds, according to a statement. There are around 3.5 million children affected in the UK.

It estimates that every child who has used TikTok since May 2018, that is, since the introduction of the General Data Protection Rule in the European Union, whether they have an account or not, may be affected by the data collection process.

This personal information includes phone numbers, videos, photos, and even biometric data, such as that used for facial recognition technology. The complaint states that TikTok collects data without adequate warning, without transparency, and without seeking consent, as stipulated by law.

TikTok responded, and a TikTok spokesperson responded by saying that the complaint lacks basis and that the company intends to defend itself vigorously. Privacy and security are among the priorities of TikTok, and we have practices and technologies that are able to protect all users, and adolescents in particular.

The platform was fined in February 2019 in the United States for illegally collecting personal data for children under the age of 13, including their names, e-mail, and postal addresses.