United Kingdom: Issued Ofcom ruling in investigation into TikTok for non-compliance with formal information request related to its parental control systems

On 24 July 2024, the Office of Communications (Ofcom) issued a fine of GBP 1.875 million to TikTok for failing to accurately respond to a formal request for information about its parental controls safety feature. Ofcom found several noncompliances in TikTok's data governance processes. Specifically, TikTok had insufficient checks in place, leading to the inaccurate data submission to Ofcom. Furthermore, TikTok failed to bring the error to Ofcom's attention in time and remedy the issue. Despite knowing that its parental control data would be included in a transparency report, TikTok did not inform Ofcom about the inaccuracy for more than three weeks after discovering the issue. Consequently, Ofcom concluded that TikTok failed to fully cooperate with its statutory request for information and its work in producing the Child Safety Report, contravening its duties under sections 368Z10 and 368Y of the Communications Act 2003.