Canadian Inquiry Reveals TikTok's Data Practices Affecting Children

Canada's Privacy Commissioner, Philippe Dufresne, alongside other privacy officials, has uncovered that TikTok is collecting sensitive data from minors. The investigation pointed out that the short-video platform doesn't effectively block children from accessing its services, despite stating age restrictions. This has raised concerns about the platform's data handling practices, according to a report by the BBC.

The probe highlighted that each year, countless children, not meeting the app's age guideline of 13 and above, are still using TikTok. Their personal information is often gathered and used for targeted marketing and content delivery, which has sparked a debate on the effectiveness of TikTok's age verification processes.

In response, TikTok expressed its openness to the inquiry, acknowledging that Canadian authorities have supported some of its proposals to enhance platform security. However, a company spokesperson also mentioned a disagreement with certain conclusions drawn by the investigation.

Experts in digital privacy suggest that stricter measures should be implemented to better protect young users online. They argue that platforms like TikTok need to ensure more robust age-verification systems to safeguard children’s data from being exploited for commercial purposes.