Dutch foundation takes popular app TikTok to court

On Wednesday, the Foundation for Market Information Research (SOMI) will send a subpoena to the popular social media app TikTok. Parents of children who use the video platform say TikTok is violating privacy laws. The claim amount can be up to more than €1.4 billion.

This article was published on 2nd June 2021 on Het Financieele Dagblad in the Netherlands.

According to the foundation, TikTok does not sufficiently guarantee the safety and privacy of children who use the video app. For example, the app would collect data so that the children see targeted advertisements, without being asked for permission in the 'correct way'. TikTok would collect and store more data than necessary. Somi also points out the dangerous trends on the platform, such as the so-called Blackout challenge, in which participants deliberately let themselves choke for as long as possible. According to the foundation, it is 'necessary to intervene as soon as possible'.

Somi co-founder Cor Wijtvliet states that the foundation has sent letters of complaint to TikTok and several European supervisory authorities last year, but has not seen any substantive results. 'That is why we have decided not to wait for the investigations by the authorities and to take legal action ourselves.'

Compensation

As compensation, the foundation demands €2000 for each child under the age of 13, €1000 for each child aged 13 to 15, and €500 for each child aged 16 and 17. Added together, the mass claim can amount to more than €1.4 billion, based on the more than 1 million Dutch minor users. They claim to represent more than 64,000 European participants.

Read the full article (in Dutch): https://fd.nl/economie-politiek/1386204/nederlandse-stichting-daagt-populaire-app-tiktok-voor-de-rechter-lbf1caXgqGw2