TikTok, the Chinese short-form video platform facing an investigation for alleged violations of privacy laws, has revamped its user registration process.
As of Tuesday, the platform now offers users more transparent access to its service terms, including detailed information about the personal data collected and used during the registration.
Previously, TikTok required users to agree to the data usage and collection items outlined in the service terms and privacy policy without disclosing specific details. This violated Article 22, Section 1 of the privacy law, which mandates that individuals must be informed about each consent item.
In response to these concerns, South Korea’s Personal Information Protection Commission has launched a review of TikTok’s compliance with privacy regulations.
The company also introduced a new option allowing users to choose whether to receive promotional notifications during registration. Previously, users automatically opted into marketing and advertising communications upon registration, sparking controversies over the Telecommunications Business Act violations.
The Korea Communications Commission has flagged TikTok for failing to obtain explicit consent from users for marketing communications, a requirement under the law. An investigation through the Korea Internet & Security Agency (KISA) is expected to follow soon.
Despite these adjustments, TikTok has yet to fully address concerns regarding the potential overseas leakage of Korean users’ data.
Meanwhile, TikTok Lite, a low-bandwidth app alternative to TikTok, saw its monthly active users (MAU) reach 4.58 million in August, a significant increase from the 163,355 users recorded when it was first launched in December last year. Combined with TikTok’s MAU of 4.65 million during the same period, the total number of users for both apps exceeds 9.2 million.
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