Los Angeles

Name: Stephany Vargas Guerra

Subject: Grammar #43
Eleventh grade

TikTok fined €345m over children's data privacy

Irish regulators have fined TikTok €345m (£296m) for violating children's privacy.

The complaint concerned how the social media app handled children's data in 2020 -
particularly around age verification and privacy settings.

It is the biggest fine to date TikTok has received from regulators.

A spokesperson for the social media firm said it "respectfully disagree[s] with the decision,
particularly the level of the fine imposed".

"The criticisms are focused on features and settings that were in place three years ago, and
that we made changes to well before the investigation even began, such as setting all under
16 accounts to private by default," they said.

The fine was issued by Ireland's Data Protection Commission (DPC) under the EU's General
Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) privacy law.

GDPR sets out rules that companies must follow when handling data.

The DPC found that TikTok had not been transparent enough with children about its privacy
settings, and raised questions about how their data was processed.

Data Protection Commissioner Helen Dixon told BBC News the inquiry also found that
accounts made by those aged between 13 and 17 were made public by default on
registration, meaning the content they posted was visible to anyone.

"That is precisely at the hands of TikTok because of the way they designed the platform, and
we say that infringed the data protection by design and by the default requirements of the
GDPR," Ms Dixon said.

The firm has been given three months to makes its data processing completely comply with
GDPR.

Prof Sonia Livingstone, who researches children's digital rights and experiences at the
London School of Economics and Political Science, welcomed the DPC's decision.

"[Children] want to participate in the digital world without being exploited or manipulated. And
that means that platforms must explain how their data are treated and, most important, treat
their data fairly, since privacy is a child's right," she said.

There remains an investigation under way about whether TikTok has illegally transferred
data from the EU to China. TikTok is owned by Beijing firm ByteDance.

European fines
Despite the fine being in the hundreds of millions, it is actually smaller than other penalties
seen in recent months - such as the €1.2bn (£1bn) fine Meta was given by the regulator in
May for mishandling people's data when transferring it between Europe and the United
States.
Los Angeles
Name: Stephany Vargas Guerra
Subject: Grammar #43
Eleventh grade

MAIN IDEA
The article BBC talks about that Irish regulators have imposed a €345 million fine on TikTok
for violating children's data privacy. The complaint revolves around TikTok's handling of
children's data in 2020, with a particular focus on age verification and privacy settings. This
fine represents the largest penalty that TikTok has received from regulators to date.

TikTok's response to the fine indicates that they "respectfully disagree" with the decision,
especially regarding the fine's magnitude. The company argues that the criticisms are
related to features and settings that were in place three years ago, and that changes had
been implemented before the investigation began, such as setting all accounts of users
under 16 to private by default.

The fine was issued by Ireland's Data Protection Commission (DPC) under the EU's General
Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) privacy law. The DPC found that TikTok had not been
transparent enough with children regarding its privacy settings and raised concerns about
how their data was processed.

TikTok has been given three months to bring its data processing fully in line with GDPR
requirements. The article also mentions an ongoing investigation into whether TikTok
illegally transferred data from the EU to China, as the platform is owned by Beijing firm
ByteDance.

POINT OF VIEW
In my oinion th fine is a significant step to protecting the privacy of children online, which is
crucial in today's digital age.

It's good to see regulatory authorities taking action to ensure that social media platforms
prioritize data privacy, especially for younger users.

However, I remain cautious about TikTok's response to the fine and its commitment to
addressing these concerns thoroughly. It's a reminder that we should always be vigilant
about data protection, and this fine shows the importance of strong data privacy regulations.
Overall, it's a positive move, but ongoing vigilance is essential to safeguard privacy on social
media platforms, especially for children.