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EU finds TikTok violates its digital rule book by failing to protect privacy of minors

AP News · · International · Privacy Law

European Union regulators have determined that TikTok violated the bloc's digital rules by failing to adequately protect the privacy of minors on its platform. The finding represents a formal enforcement action under the EU's framework governing large online platforms.

Why this matters: Children's data on TikTok is not an abstract policy concern. It is real behavioral data — what kids watch, how long, what they respond to — collected at scale with inadequate guardrails. The EU is saying TikTok broke its own legal obligations to the most protected category of users. That matters because fines can be shrugged off. What actually changes behavior is sustained enforcement that forces platforms to redesign systems, not just write bigger checks. Watch whether this leads to structural changes or just paperwork.

Who should care: Lawyers · Compliance · General readers · Privacy officers · Policy

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