Technology
Brazilian regulator fines TikTok parent ByteDance nearly $30 million over youth data privacy
Brazil's data protection agency ruled that the social media platform illegally collected and processed personal information from children and teenagers.
The short version
- Brazil's data protection regulator fined TikTok owner ByteDance over 153 million reais (nearly $30 million) for alleged minor privacy violations.
- The agency ruled that TikTok collected data from young users in both logged-in accounts and guest browsing sessions without sufficient safeguards or legal grounds.
- ByteDance was ordered to delete all illegally gathered data and submit a compliance plan to better protect minors.
- The company has a 10-day window to appeal the administrative decision.
Key facts
- Brazil's data protection regulator imposed a fine exceeding 153 million reais, or approximately $30 million, on ByteDance.[ABC News · Associated Press]
- The regulator found privacy violations occurred across both guest browsing sessions and logged-in accounts.[ABC News · Associated Press]
- The sanction includes a mandate for TikTok to delete all illegally gathered data and submit a plan to enhance protection for minors.[ABC News · Associated Press]
- ByteDance has 10 days to file an appeal against the ruling.[ABC News · Associated Press]
What remains uncertain
- It is unclear whether ByteDance will challenge the decision during the 10-day appeal window, as the company did not immediately comment on the ruling.[ABC News · Associated Press]