TikTok to be banned from UK parliamentary devices
GuardianNov 26, 2022
UK Data Regulator Fines TikTok £12.7 M Over Children's Data Concerns
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Image copyright: Getty Images [via Politico]
The Facts
The UK's Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has fined TikTok £12.7 M over claims that the platform was collecting the data of children under the age of 13 who were using the app without parental consent.
The ICO investigation found that over 1.4 M children under the age of 13 were inappropriately accessing the video-sharing platform in 2020, in violation of British regulations requiring parental consent for organizations to use children's personal data.
The Spin
Pro-establishment narrative
TikTok poses a danger to free nations the world over, and fines do not go far enough. TikTok's connection to the Chinese government makes it a national security threat that should be banned to ensure the safety of users and national institutions. Mishandling the data of children is bad, but the data potentially being funneled to the Chinese government and being used for information warfare is even worse. The threat that TikTok poses to privacy, mental health, and our susceptibility to fake news and misinformation makes it unacceptable for governments to keep treating it as just another tech company.
Establishment-critical narrative
Governments the world over are leading a cynical assault against TikTok to foment anti-China sentiment. The charge that TikTok is sharing any user data with the Chinese government for nefarious purposes is unproven and tenuous, and the app hasn't thus far been shown to be committing any misdeeds greater than those any other social media platform is guilty of. There is nothing uniquely problematic about TikTok, and the platform has been transparent and cooperative with regulators to assuage their concerns. By singling out TikTok, governments are ignoring the need for comprehensive privacy protections that would do much more to protect users than the banning of a single app.
