Tom Gerken
Technological journalist
Media in Pennsylvania
The Watchdog of British data has launched what he calls a “major survey” on the use by Tiktok of personal information of children.
The Office of the Information Commissioner (ICO) will inspect the way in which the social media platform uses data from 13 to 17 years to recommend additional content.
John Edwards, the Information Commissioner, said that he would examine whether Tiktok’s data collection practices could lead to children to suffer damage, such as disclosed data or spend more time than what is healthy “on the platform.
Tiktok told the BBC its recommendation systems made under “strict and complete measures that protect privacy and adolescent safety”.
He added that the platform also has “robust restrictions on the content authorized in adolescent flows”.
Edwards said that Tiktok algorithm “feeds” personal data gleaned from user profiles, preferences, clicked links and how long they spend a particular video – which subjects them to British rules.
In addition to the probe on Tiktok, the ICO also checks the age verification processes of Reddit and Imgur, an image sharing platform.
The survey will examine whether companies comply with both data protection laws in the United Kingdom and children’s code.
The code is defined on the principles of design online platforms aimed at protecting children in the United Kingdom. The platforms that collect data from British children’s users must minimize the amount they collect and take additional care during treatment.
Reddit and Imgur probes
ICO surveys on Reddit and IMGUR will focus on how platforms check the ages of their users and their application of age controls.
Ofcom said that in October, Reddit had exceeded X as a fifth most popular platform in the United Kingdom.
Imgur, on the other hand, says on his website that he reaches more than 250 million people a month. However, it does not indicate in which countries their users are based, so there is no figure for the number of people who use it in the United Kingdom.
“I do not want to prejudge the way in which we could examine the questions of Imgur and Reddit, but if there are age limits to access the services, then the platforms must apply them in certain respects,” said BBC information commissioner.
“There are a number of different technologies and techniques that are available, I would say, and the degree of rigor, I think, depends in part on the types of risks, the probability that children will access these sites.
“I assume that a reference base would be: self-declaration is probably not going to cut it if there is content on the site or services on the site that are not suitable for children under 13 years of age.”
A Reddit spokesman told the BBC that 95% of their users are adults, but that they “intended to deploy changes this year which deal with British regulations concerning age insurance”.
Imgur did not respond to the BBC comment request.
Following steps
The surveys do not necessarily mean that the three platforms have violated the law.
But the companies that have done so can be punished with notifications and application fines.
“We patrols it, and there will be consequences for violations of the law,” said Edwards.
This is not the first time that Tiktok has faced an ICO meticulous examination. The platform is attractive against an ICO fine of 12.7 million pounds sterling in 2023 to abuse data from children published in 2023.
