TikTok’s efforts to prevent children from accessing its platform were found to be ineffective, with the popular social media app collecting sensitive data from underage users, according to a collaborative investigation by Canadian privacy authorities. The inquiry, led by the federal privacy commissioner and counterparts in Quebec, British Columbia, and Alberta, scrutinized the app’s privacy protocols concerning younger users and the acquisition of consent for personal information collection, usage, and disclosure.
Despite TikTok’s terms banning users under 13 years old (14 in Quebec), the investigation revealed that the company gathered personal data from a significant number of Canadian children due to inadequate age-verification measures, including what the authorities deemed as sensitive information.
An estimated 500,000 underage accounts are removed by TikTok annually, but prior to their removal, the platform had already gathered, analyzed, and utilized their information for targeted advertising and personalized content delivery. Federal Privacy Commissioner Philippe Dufresne highlighted concerns during a press briefing in Ottawa, emphasizing that young users might be less cognizant of privacy risks and more susceptible to tactics aimed at soliciting information or influencing their behaviors.
In response to the investigation, TikTok has committed to enhancing its age-verification processes to prevent minors from accessing the platform. Dufresne and his counterparts intend to monitor TikTok’s implementation of these improvements closely.
