TikTok fined €750,000 for Dutch privacy violation

Dutch data protection authorities issued a €750,000 fine against TikTok on Thursday, saying the social media service violated the privacy of young children in the Netherlands.

The Dutch Data Protection Authority noted that TikTok's app installation information was in English and was not readily understood by young Dutch children.

"By not offering their privacy statement in Dutch, TikTok failed to provide an adequate explanation of how the app collects, processes and uses personal data," a DPA statement said.

"This is an infringement of privacy legislation, which is based on the principle that people must always be given a clear idea of what is being done with their personal data," it added.

The data protection watchdog said it launched its investigation last year into the popular social media service, which has 3.5 million users in the Netherlands.

TikTok objected to the fine, the DPA noted.

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In a statement mailed to AFP, TikTok said its privacy policy and a shorter and more accessible summary for younger users, have been available in Dutch since July 2020.

"The Dutch Data Protection Authority has accepted this as resolving the matter," TikTok said.

The EU in May said TikTok must address concerns of aggressive advertising methods targeting children in a case launched by consumer authorities in several member states.

TikTok has faced many such cases globally, and the EU claim came a month after Britain accused the video-sharing app of illegally collecting personal data from millions of children in Europe.

The case by the EU executive came after a signal in February by the European Consumer Organisation (BEUC) about TikTok's alleged breaches of EU consumer rights.