Brazil fines TikTok $30 mn over child data management

Brazil's National Data Protection Agency (ANPD) said Tuesday it had imposed a fine of nearly $30 million on TikTok for "irregularities in the processing of data belonging to children and adolescents."

In addition to the fine of 153.7 million reais ($29.9 million), the agency ordered parent company ByteDance to "delete the data collected in violation of regulations."

TikTok has committed to "implementing a compliance plan to improve the protection of children and adolescents," the ANPD said.

The platform will be required to automatically apply stricter privacy settings to accounts belonging to children under the age of 16, strengthen parental supervision systems, and implement stricter content filters.

TikTok did not immediately respond to requests for comment from AFP.

The ANPD this month also ordered popular streaming platform Discord to suspend livestreams and video calls after a teenage girl was allegedly encouraged to take her own life during a broadcast.

The agency told AFP that an appeal filed by Discord on Monday against the suspension was currently under review.

In recent years, Brazil has adopted a tougher approach to regulating social media platforms.

A recent law requires platforms to link the accounts of users under age 16 to their parents' accounts, and verify user age.

In 2024, the platform X was blocked for 40 days in Brazil, until the social media network owned by the world's richest man Elon Musk complied with the Supreme Court's orders to remove accounts spreading disinformation.