Brazil's data protection authority has fined TikTok owner ByteDance $30 Million (153.8 million reais) for allegedly violating the country's data protection law and ordered the company to delete certain teenagers' personal data.
The decision, published in Brazil's official gazette on Tuesday, said ByteDance's local unit had processed the personal data of teenagers aged 13 to 18 without a valid legal basis.
Reuters reported that the penalty comes as Brazilian authorities step up scrutiny of how online platforms protect children and teenagers. The country's data regulator, the Autoridade Nacional de Proteção de Dados (ANPD), is also monitoring compliance with a new law aimed at strengthening safeguards for minors online.
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According to Reuters, ANPD Director Lorena Giuberti Coutinho said that the agency was separately overseeing TikTok's compliance with Brazil's Digital Child and Adolescent Statute, which came into force in March.
The regulator has also expanded its monitoring efforts. On Friday, ANPD opened two new proceedings covering 22 digital platforms and social media networks to assess their compliance with the new child-safety law.
The agency raised particular concerns about TikTok's logged-out feed, which allows users to browse content without creating an account. According to ANPD, the feature enables children and teenagers in Brazil to use the platform without effective age-verification checks.
Reuters reported that the regulator said the logged-out feed is available in Brazil but not in the US or Europe, where access is restricted to registered users.
ANPD also said TikTok lacked adequate safeguards to mitigate risks linked to the large-scale processing of children's and teenagers' personal data.
According to Reuters, ByteDance Brasil did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Coutinho, however, said the company had committed to implementing a plan to bring TikTok into compliance with Brazilian law.
Under Tuesday's decision, ByteDance must delete the personal data of teenagers whose legal representation or assistance is not regularised within 60 business days. The company must also notify third parties with whom the data was shared.
ByteDance faces a daily fine of 137,081.49 reais if it fails to comply with the data deletion, reporting or notification requirements.
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The total penalty could be reduced by 25% if ByteDance waives its right to appeal and pays the fine promptly, according to the regulator's decision.
Brazil's action comes amid a broader global push to tighten safeguards for children on social media. Countries including Australia, France and China have introduced or considered stricter measures concerning minors' access to digital platforms.
Earlier this month, ANPD also ordered chat platform Discord to suspend livestreaming features over concerns about children's and teenagers' exposure to harmful content.
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