The Netherlands’ Data Protection Authority said Thursday it has fined TikTok 750,000 euros ($885,000) for not providing a privacy statement in Dutch, saying numerous youngsters who utilize the famous video sharing application would not be able to comprehend the information.
The watchdog said that by not providing a Dutch-language privacy statement, “TikTok neglected to give a sufficient clarification of how the application gathers, processes and uses personal data.”
It said TikTok has some 3.5 million users in the Netherlands and that Dutch privacy law “depends on the rule that individuals should consistently be given a reasonable thought of what is being done with their personal data.”
The watchdog said TikTok had “objected to the fine.”
TikTok said in a statement that its privacy policy and a “more limited and more open adaptation for our more youthful clients, accessible in Dutch since July 2020, has been acknowledged by the Dutch watchdog as the answer for this issue.”
It added that it rolled out different improvements to defend the privacy of minors in the last year and a half, including setting records of 13-to-15-year-olds to private by default and just permitting direct messaging for users 16 and over.
Last month, Dutch consumer group Consumentenbond said it was launching a 1.5 billion euro ($1.8 billion) claim against TikTok over what it charges is unlawful collection of personal data from users.
The group and a foundation called Take Back Your Privacy requested that TikTok pay damages to 1.2 million to 1.6 million Dutch youngsters who utilize the application.
