Group Demands TikTok Pay Dutch Children Over $1M in Damages Over Privacy Data Violations

By Zoe Strozewski On 6/24/21 at 1:26 PM EDT

A Dutch consumer group demanded Thursday that TikTok pay more than $1 million after alleged data privacy breaches against Dutch children, the Associated Press reported.

The Consumentenbond and the Take Back Your Privacy foundation filed the claim on behalf of 1.2 to 1.6 million young Dutch users of the app whose personal data was collected unlawfully, the groups said.

"The conduct of TikTok is pure exploitation," Consumentenbond Director Sandra Molenaar said in a statement. "The company earns hundreds of millions per year on the backs of children. And that while privacy law prescribes that children should receive additional protection."

If TikTok does not pay the children and delete their data, Consumentenbond and Take Back Your Privacy said they will take the video-sharing platform to court. In an emailed response, TikTok asserted it was "committed to engage with external experts and organisations to make sure we're doing what we can to keep people on TikTok safe."

For more reporting from the Associated Press, see below.

TikTok Creators — A Dutch consumer organization is launching a 1.5 billion euro ($1.8 billion) claim against TikTok over what it alleges is unlawful harvesting of personal data of users of the popular video sharing platform. Above, TikTok artists from Vibe House play during the preview of the TikTok Experience in the Youseum in the Westfield Mall of The Netherlands in Leidschendam, on June 2, 2021. Sem van der Wal/ANP/AFP via Getty Images

TikTok added that "privacy and safety are top priorities for TikTok and we have robust policies, processes and technologies in place to help protect all users, and our teenage users in particular."

In February, TikTok's Chinese parent company, ByteDance, agreed to pay $92 million in a settlement to U.S. users who are part of a class-action lawsuit alleging that the video-sharing app failed to get their consent to collect data in violation of a strict Illinois privacy law.

The social media app also is facing complaints in the European Union.

Late last month, the EU's executive, the European Commission, gave TikTok one month to answer complaints from a European consumer group over its commercial practices. The Commission said some contractual terms in TikTok's policies could be considered misleading and confusing for consumers, adding that concerns relating to issues including hidden marketing and advertising strategies targeting children were raised.