TIKTOK GOES TO COURT OVER PRIVACY, AGAIN

The Market Information Research Foundation - SOMI - is taking TikTok to court for violating the privacy rules. TikTok would also do too little to guarantee the safety of children. The claim filed by SOMI can amount to 1.4 billion euros. 'They perish in good intentions, but they do nothing,' says SOMI co-founder Cor Wijtvliet.

This article was published on 2nd June 2021 on BNR, in the Netherlands. 

Risks for children

Although TikTok says in its disclaimers that the app is not so suitable for children under 13, 40 percent of children under ten watch it, Wijtvliet says. Wijtvliet points out the risks that very young children will see things that are not at all suitable for them. The children also have to deal with risky challenges that they will imitate - and sometimes with disastrous consequences. Also, young children are exposed online to malicious parties 'who use the vague security of TikTok'.

Say yes, do no

“They have been promising improvements since their inception in 2017, but in fact, they are not doing anything about it. Whatever is going on and not showing up enough: TikTok is developing profiles of children more than any other club. That can go a long way and the children can suffer from it for the rest of their lives.'

There is now a case against TikTok not only in the Netherlands. A much larger action has also been launched in the United Kingdom and claims and cases have been pending in the US for several years. Although TikTok is a Chinese company, it has an office in London. And will therefore have to deal with European legislation and regulations.

Read the full article (in Dutch): https://www.bnr.nl/nieuws/technologie/10443010/stichting-sleept-tiktok-voor-rechter-om-privacy