Tech
US imposes ‘largest fine ever’ on Chinese video sharing network
The US has slammed TikTok, the fast-growing video sharing network TikTok, owned by China’s Bytedance, with a 5.7-million-U.S.-dollar fine which the company has agreed to pay.
The social media network has agreed to cough out the huge sum to settle charges that it illegally collected personal information from children, officials said on Wednesday.
The Federal Trade Commission said the penalty imposed on the social network, previously known as Musical.ly, was the largest ever in a children’s privacy investigation.
Read also: Japanese scientists discover new form of self-healing material
The social network, which has been surging in popularity with young smartphone users and taking over from rivals like Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat, failed to obtain parental consent from its underage users as required by the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, FTC officials said.
TikTok claimed some 500 million users worldwide last year, making it one of the most popular worldwide apps.
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