Fine in Italy and national security review in Canada add to TikTok’s growing woes
- Italian regulators have fined TikTok nearly US$11 million for failing to protect children, citing the ‘French scar challenge’
- The Canadian government is reviewing TikTok’s expansion plan for national security risks
Italy’s competition authority on Thursday fined TikTok 10 million euros (nearly US$11 million), saying the hugely popular video app had failed to sufficiently protect minors.
“The company has failed to implement appropriate mechanisms to monitor content published on the platform, particularly those that may threaten the safety of minors and vulnerable individuals,” the AGCM watchdog said in a statement.
“Moreover, this content is systematically reproposed to users as a result of their algorithmic profiling, stimulating an ever-increasing use of the social network.”
The fine has been imposed on three units of China’s ByteDance, namely Ireland’s TikTok Technology, TikTok Information Technologies UK and TikTok Italy.
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The watchdog said TikTok had not fully complied with guidelines it had advertised to reassure consumers the app was a “safe” space.