Italy fines TikTok over $10M for failing to protect minors

By Burak Bir

LONDON (AA) - Italy's competition authority on Thursday fined the popular short video platform TikTok €10 million ($10.9 million) over its failure to protect minors.

The fine was imposed by the Competition and Market Authority on three companies in the group Bytedance Ltd, namely the Irish TikTok Technology Limited, the British TikTok Information Technologies UK Limited, and the Italian TikTok Italy Srl.

"The company has failed to implement appropriate mechanisms to monitor content published on the platform, particularly those that may threaten the safety of minors and vulnerable individuals," the competition authority said in a statement.

It said the dissemination of some content – such as potentially harmful “challenges” – is likely to threaten the psycho-physical safety of users, especially if they are minors and vulnerable.

"TikTok has not taken adequate measures to prevent the dissemination of such content, not fully complying with the Guidelines it has adopted and which it has made known to consumers by reassuring them that the platform is a 'safe' space," added the watchdog.

The fine comes amid a push in the US to ban TikTok, with a national ban having passed one house of Congress, largely over user privacy and safety concerns. The measure would ban the TikTok app unless its Chinese owners sell their controlling stake in the company.

The app is already banned on official government phones in many places.