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TikTok slapped with fine in South Korea over mishandled user data
- The Korea Communications Commission said TikTok collected personal information of users under the age of 14 without parental consent
- TikTok also did not notify users about the transfer of their data to servers in Singapore and the US
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ByteDance-owned TikTok has been slapped with a fine by South Korea’s telecommunications authority for mishandling data of underage users in the country, marking the popular short video app’s latest run-in with regulators after disputes in India and the US.
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The Korea Communications Commission (KCC) on Wednesday imposed a 186 million won (US$155,000) fine on TikTok for collecting personal information of users under the age of 14 without parental consent and not notifying users about transferring their data to servers overseas, the regulator said on its website.
TikTok illegally collected 6,000 pieces of user data and transferred its users’ information in Korea to servers in Singapore and the US, according to a report by the Yonhap News Agency, which cited the KCC.
TikTok did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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While TikTok has become one of the most heavily downloaded apps worldwide since it was launched outside China in 2017, its rapid growth had been marred by subsequent regulatory issues in Indonesia, the US and India.
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