TikTok strengthens children's data protections after Canada warning

TikTok has agreed to improve measures to prevent children under 13 from accessing its platform, after a federal and provincial investigation in Canada concluded that the company's efforts to protect children's personal data were "inadequate."

A joint investigation by Canada's Privacy Commissioner Philippe Dufresne and data protection authorities in Quebec, British Columbia and Alberta found that hundreds of thousands of Canadian children use TikTok each year, despite the app claiming it is not intended for people under 13.

Notably, the investigative report states that TikTok collected “large amounts” of sensitive personal information from Canadian children and used it for online marketing and content recommendations.

Speaking at a press conference announcing the results, Mr. Dufresne stated: “TikTok collects a huge amount of personal data from users, including children. This data is used to tailor content and advertising, which can have a negative impact, especially on young people."

To address this, TikTok said it will upgrade its age verification system to block users under 13, while also improving transparency in communications, helping users - especially younger groups - better understand how their data is used.

According to the authorities, during the investigation, TikTok also agreed to make some changes, such as preventing advertisers from directly targeting users under 18 years old, except according to general criteria such as language or approximate location; and expanding the content of privacy information for Canadian users.

A TikTok spokesperson said the company is “pleased that several recommendations were approved by commissioners to further strengthen the platform in Canada.”

“We disagree with some of the report’s conclusions, but TikTok remains committed to transparency and strong data privacy,” TikTok said in a statement.

The platform did not, however, specify the specific points of contention.

The Canadian incident comes as TikTok is under intense scrutiny from governments and regulators around the world, with the biggest concern being the potential for user data to be exploited by the Chinese government, as its parent company, ByteDance, is based in Beijing.

Previously, the European Union (EU) banned staff of two key policy-making bodies of the bloc from using TikTok on official devices.

The US Senate also passed a bill in December 2024 to ban federal employees from installing the app on government-issued phones and computers.

In Canada alone, since 2023, the government has opened a review of TikTok's investment and expansion plans, leading to an order requiring the company to cease operations in the country for national security reasons.

TikTok is currently appealing the decision./.

(TTXVN/Vietnam+)

Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/tiktok-tang-cuong-bao-ve-du-lieu-tre-em-sau-canh-cao-cua-canada-post1063660.vnp