TikTok has been fined €5 million in France for violating user tracking policies.
The fine was imposed by the French data protection organization, CNIL, and relates to the platform’s handling of cookies. ByteDance, the company that owns TikTok, has stated that all issues have been fixed.
TikTok fined in France for its handling of cookies
The CNIL investigation focused on the main TikTok website. During the development of this inquiry, two main issues were identified: the process of declining online tracking cookies became more difficult compared to accepting them, and TikTok did not provide an adequate amount of information about how these cookies are used. TikTok representatives said these findings relate to “past practices,” which were later corrected to comply with legal requirements.
The European Union has strengthened regulations related to online privacy in recent years. Now, all websites are required to obtain the consent of users to store cookies on their computers, having the responsibility to provide sufficient information about the use of these, as well as providing an easy way to refuse to accept them if users They don’t want to store them. In this case, TikTok did not comply with these regulations and for this reason a sanction was applied with a financial fine.
The fine imposed on TikTok in France is just one example of the increasingly strict regulations and sanctions being imposed on social media platforms around the world, mainly in the EU. As concerns about privacy and user tracking increase, regulators are taking steps to ensure that these platforms comply with existing laws and regulations.
It is important to mention that TikTok has been subject to regulations and sanctions in other countries as well. In the United States, for example, the government has banned the download of this application on military and government devices, citing concerns about national security and the privacy of its users’ data.
Even though it is a retroactive reprimand, the fine imposed on TikTok in France is a sign that existing privacy and data tracking laws and regulations are being enforced. In addition, this punishment is a reminder of the responsibility that these platforms must assume by complying with these regulations.
