TikTok has failed to adequately protect children using its platform and has not implemented sufficient safeguards to secure their personal data, a Canadian privacy probe has concluded.
The investigation revealed that hundreds of thousands of children in Canada access TikTok annually, despite the company stating that its platform is not intended for users under the age of 13.
Conducted by Privacy Commissioner Philippe Dufresne alongside federal privacy officials, the probe determined that TikTok had collected sensitive personal data from a significant number of Canadian children, using it for targeted advertising and content recommendations.
At a press briefing, Commissioner Dufresne criticized the platform for amassing “vast” quantities of user information, including data belonging to minors. “This data is being used to target the content and ads that users see, which can have harmful impacts, particularly on youth,” he said.
In response to the findings, TikTok has reportedly agreed to bolster its age verification processes and improve the transparency of how it collects and uses user data. The company told the BBC it will introduce additional measures aimed at "strengthening our platform for Canadians," though it disputed some of the conclusions reached in the report.
A TikTok spokesperson said the company welcomed the scrutiny and noted that Canadian privacy regulators had accepted several of its proposals to improve the app’s safeguards. “While we disagree with some of the findings, we remain committed to maintaining strong transparency and privacy practices,” the spokesperson said. The company has not disclosed which specific findings it contests.
This investigation marks the latest global push by governments to scrutinize TikTok’s practices, amid persistent concerns over user data security and the app's ties to China.
TikTok and the Chinese government have repeatedly rejected accusations that user data is misused or accessed improperly by Beijing.
In the United States, President Donald Trump has been engaged in ongoing talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping over a possible agreement that could lead to TikTok’s U.S. operations being acquired by a group of American firms.
Elsewhere, in 2023, the European Commission directed its staff to remove TikTok from all official mobile phones and work-related devices. The measure was described as a step to “protect data and increase cybersecurity.”
Source: BBC
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