France yesterday fined TikTok 5 million euros (about 3.657 million yuan) for flaws in the short-form video platform’s handling of online tracking of files known as “cookies,” which TikTok said it has now fixed.
According to EU regulations, websites must explicitly ask Internet users for their consent before using cookies, which should also be easy for users to refuse to track. cookies, also known as small data files, are a way to track visitors’ movements throughout a website.
The French data protection regulator CNIL said their investigation covered only the tiktok.com website and not the much more frequently used smartphone app. the CNIL found that it was not as easy for users of the tiktok.com website to refuse online trackers as it was to accept them. The agency also found that Internet users were not adequately informed about TikTok’s use of cookies.
A TikTok spokesperson responded, “These findings relate to past practices that we have addressed in the last year, including now making it easier for users to reject non-essential cookies and providing additional information about the use of certain cookies. the CNIL itself underscored our cooperation in the investigation process, and user privacy remains TikTok’s top priority.”
Separately, Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers signed an order yesterday banning the use of TikTok on government-owned and -managed devices, and more than 20 other states have now banned TikTok on official devices.
In addition to banning TikTok, Evers also banned vendors, products and services from nine companies, including Huawei Technologies, Hikvision, Tencent Holdings, ZTE and Kaspersky Lab.
