Chinese short video-sharing app TikTok has been fined TL 1.75 million ($93,000) by Turkish authorities for failing to take sufficient measures to protect users from unlawful processing of their data, the Personal Data Protection Board (KVKK) said Wednesday.
The fine comes amid growing international concern over the app and who accesses its user data. Government institutions in Europe and Canada banned the app from staff phones and the United States is discussing a bill giving President Joe Biden the power to ban TikTok.
The KVKK said it had decided to fine TikTok for "not taking all necessary measures to ensure the appropriate level of security to prevent unlawful procession of personal data."
The data protection authority also said in a statement on its website that TikTok should translate its Terms of Service into Turkish and update its privacy and cookies policy texts in line with the country's regulations.
TikTok said they are looking into the Turkish regulator's fine, adding that they remain committed to providing a safe and protected platform for users.
"Our uncompromising commitment is to provide all users with the peace of mind they deserve by ensuring the safety, security and protection of their personal information – because their trust matters to us," a TikTok spokesperson said.
Türkiye has the ninth most active TikTok users in the world, with some 30 million accounts on the social media platform, revealed data from Statista.
In the latest salvo in the battle over the video-sharing app, the European Parliament, the European Commission and the European Council have banned TikTok from being installed on official devices.
That follows similar actions taken by the U.S. federal government, Congress and more than half of the 50 U.S. states. Canada has also banned it from government devices.
TikTok is wildly popular among teens, but there are concerns China could use its legal and regulatory powers to obtain private user data or to try to push misinformation or narratives favoring China on the platform.
China has been pushing back, though its ruling Communist Party has long blocked many foreign social media platforms and messaging apps, including YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram – and TikTok.
A Chinese version of the app, Douyin, is permitted, but its content is not the same as that found on TikTok. EU staffers are required to delete TikTok from devices that they use for professional business by March 15.
In Norway, which is not a member of the 27-nation EU, the justice minister was forced to apologize this month for failing to disclose that she had installed TikTok on her government-issued phone.
TikTok has also come under pressure from the EU to comply with new upcoming digital regulations aimed at getting big online platforms to clean up toxic and illegal content along with the bloc’s strict data privacy rules.
