Video-sharing App Fined Record US$170 Million|涉非法蒐集兒童個資 "抖音"遭罰570萬美元

More and more young people like to use the Chinese app TikTok to express themselves, but the app was recently fined US$ 5.7 million by the U.S. Fair Trade Commission for illegally collecting data including names, email addresses and physical addresses of children under 13. The fine amount is equivalent to NT$ 170 million, setting a new record for child privacy violation cases.


TikTok is a Chinese video sharing app with an estimated 500 million users last year. The app is particularly popular with children. The U.S. Fair Trade Commission recently handed down a US$ 570 million or NT$ 170 million fine for illegally collecting the names, email addresses and residential addresses of users under 13. This was the highest-ever fine in a child privacy case. As there are many TikTok users in Taiwan, the news caught the attention of child welfare groups.

Children don't understand how their personal information can be used, so they need more protection. In general, we believe parental consent should be required for children's personal information to be collected.

The Child Welfare League Foundation says both online platform and phone app operators need to do everything in their power to get the consent of parents before acquiring and using the personal information of minors. Parents, meanwhile, should educate their children on the importance of privacy to reduce the risk of personal data abuse.

Parents should monitor their (children)'s online activities and keep an eye on what they're doing on their phone.