The Italian Data Protection Authority states that it requires immediate blocking of TikTok access to data for any user whose age has not been verified.
MILAN – The Italian data protection authority said on Friday that it requires immediate blocking of TikTok access to data for any user whose age has not been verified.
The authority said it was acting “urgently” after the death of a 10-year-old girl from Sicily, who died while participating in the so-called “blackout” challenge while using China’s video-sharing social network.
Sicilian prosecutors are investigating the case.
The data protection authority said it informed TikTok in December of a number of breaches, including a lack of attention to the protection of minors, the ease with which users under the age of 13 can register on the platform – against their own rules – lack of transparency in information provided to users. use automatic settings that do not respect privacy.
“Pending a response, the authority has decided to take steps to ensure the immediate protection of Italian minors registered on the network,” the authority said in a statement.
The block will remain in force until at least February 15, when additional assessments will be carried out.
TikTok earlier this month launched a few tighter privacy features for users under the age of 18, including a new default private setting for accounts with users between the ages of 13 and 15. The new practices, which affect users around the world, followed a move by US regulators to order TikTok and other social media services to reveal how their practices affect children and adolescents.