On September 15, 2023, a European Union regulatory body imposed a hefty fine of 345 million euros on TikTok, a Chinese-owned social media platform, for violating child data protection regulations. The Ireland Data Protection Commission (DPC) announced this "administrative fine" following a two-year investigation that revealed these breaches.

As a pivotal enforcer of EU data regulations, the DPC has given TikTok a three-month deadline to implement the necessary corrective actions. The DPC also plays a significant role in upholding the stringent General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) within the European Union.

The investigation, initiated by the DPC in September 2021, primarily focused on TikTok's compliance with GDPR regarding platform settings and the processing of personal data for users under the age of 18. While no violations were found in TikTok's age verification measures for users under 13, the platform was found to have inadequately assessed the risks associated with younger users registering on their service.

In its ruling, the DPC highlighted the concerning practice of setting TikTok accounts for children to "public" by default, allowing anyone to view or comment on their content.

Read more; https://punchng.com/eu-fines-tiktok-345m-euro-over-child-data/