Canadian probe finds TikTok gathered sensitive info from kids

(MENAFN) A Canadian investigation has found that TikTok, a social media platform with hundreds of thousands of underage users in the country, failed to properly enforce age restrictions and collected substantial amounts of sensitive personal data from children.

The Canadian government released its report on TikTok on Tuesday amid ongoing debates in the United States over whether the app should be sold or banned due to data security concerns.

The report examined the company’s practices in collecting and using personal data to deliver personalized content and advertisements, evaluating their compliance with Canadian privacy regulations. It noted that hundreds of thousands of underage Canadians use the platform and pointed to TikTok’s insufficient enforcement of provincial restrictions on access for children under 13.

“As a result of TikTok’s inadequate age assurance measures, the company collected the personal information of a large number of Canadian children, including information that the offices consider to be sensitive,” the report said.

Additionally, the report revealed that TikTok gathers biometric information, including facial and voice data. While approximately 500,000 underage users are blocked each year, weaknesses in the age-verification system mean that many children remain undetected.

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