Data protection authority in France – Commission Nationale de l’Informatique et des Libertés (CNIL (opens in a new tab)) – fined €5 million on TikTok UK and TikTok Ireland for failing to provide sufficient information on the use of cookies on their site.
After a series of sessions forming part of an investigation against the TikTok online platform (not the app), in unlogged capacity, it was found that TikTok did not offer a sufficiently clear option to opt out of the use of cookies, despite offering a one-click solution to consent, thus discouraging users to resign.
The study, which took place between May 2020 and June 2022, also found that the purpose of cookies on the site was not sufficiently precise in the first-level information banner, nor was it sufficient when users clicked on the link in that banner.
TikTok cookies
Several violations of Art. 82 of the Data Protection Act, which Beeping computer (opens in a new tab) the reports comply with the EU GDPR, leading to the CNIL imposing a €5 million fine on TikTok.
The amount of the fine was reportedly based on “the infringements found, the number of people affected – including minors – and numerous previous CNIL announcements about the fact that refusing cookies must be as simple as accepting them.” ”, according to an extract from the CNIL website.
In recent months, the CNIL has questioned the internet practices of many other companies, imposing a fine of 8 million euros Apple (opens in a new tab) for advertising in the App Store, a fine of 60 million euros Microsoft (opens in a new tab) over the collection of cookies and a fine of €800,000 Discord (opens in a new tab) in connection with non-compliance with some provisions of the GDPR, all of which from November 2022
TikTok spokesman said TechRadar Pro:
“These findings build on previous practices we addressed last year, including facilitating the rejection of non-essential cookies and providing additional information about the purposes of certain cookies. The CNIL itself underlined our cooperation throughout the investigation, and user privacy remains a top priority for TikTok.”