Brazil fines TikTok owner ByteDance $30M over teen data privacy

Brazil's data protection authority on Tuesday fined TikTok parent company ByteDance 153.8 million reais, approximately $29.8 million, for allegedly violating the country's data privacy laws by improperly processing the personal information of children and teenagers. The penalty, announced by the National Data Protection Agency (ANPD), marks the South American nation's latest regulatory action against social media platforms over their handling of minors' data.

The ANPD stated that ByteDance's Brazilian unit processed data belonging to users aged 13 to 18 without a valid legal basis, breaching Brazil's General Data Protection Law. The regulator's decision, published in the official gazette, found that TikTok collected and processed young users' personal information across both logged-in accounts and guest browsing sessions without adequate safeguards. The company was ordered to delete all data gathered in violation of regulations within 60 business days and to notify any third parties with whom the affected data was shared.

In addition to the fine, ByteDance must submit a technical report signed by its data protection officer and provide system audit logs demonstrating compliance...