TikTok continues to remain entangled in children's privacy issues, as an ongoing investigation by the FTC has now been referred to the DOJ for potential violation of the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA).
TikTok has already faced several actions involving the privacy and security of children, who have always been one of the biggest demographic groups on the platform. A new FTC investigation has raised the issue again.
A children's privacy complaint that dates back to 2021 has resulted in a major GDPR fine for TikTok. The issue largely centers on the "Family Pairing" feature introduced in 2020 which had no real verification process ensuring that the linked parent account actually belonged to a parent.
The opening of the Irish data center is part of the final stage of a EU privacy plan TikTok kicked off in mid-2021, seeking to address user data security concerns and the legal status of its international data transfers.
The fine centers on TikTok's failure to police underage users that sneak onto the platform, and collection and use of children's data without required parental consent. ICO says that TikTok should have been aware of some one million underage users.
In October 2022, TikTok quietly introduced a new emotion tracking feature for advertisers on its platform. Called "Focus Tracking," it promises to only put ads in front of users that it determines are "emotionally engaged".
Government bans have been discussed under both the Trump and Biden administrations in the US. The transparency center is part of TikTok’s bid to reassure regulators.
French regulator CNIL found that the tiktok.com website, which allows users to view content via a web browser without logging in, did not have an adequate process for cookie consent.
Forbes report indicated that the TikTok app may have been used to track location data of specific American citizens. ByteDance denies there was any wrongdoing.
TikTok made the privacy policy announcement last month, and had scheduled the switch for July 13. The video sharing platform claimed a "legitimate interests" exception to obtaining consent for personalized ads.
