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03 February 2021 "TikTok will take measures to

block access to users under the age of 13

and will evaluate the use of

artificial intelligence systems

for age verification. In addition, it will launch an information campaign to raise awareness among parents and children. has communicated the video sharing platform to the Guarantor of the protection of personal data, after the blocking measure imposed in recent days by the Authority. The Authority has, in any case, reserved the right to verify the effective effectiveness of the measures announced ".

This was announced by the Guarantor for the protection of personal data in a note.

 Starting from 9 February, thus implementing the requests of the Guarantor, TikTok will block all Italian users and ask to indicate the date of birth again before continuing to use


the app. Once a user under 13 is identified, their account will be removed.



In order to identify users under 13 with reasonable certainty, after this first verification, the company has undertaken to further evaluate the use of artificial intelligence systems.


Since the identification of these solutions requires a balance between the need for accurate verifications and the right to data protection of minors, the company has undertaken to start with the

Privacy Authority of Ireland

- the country in which the platform has set the own main plant - a discussion on the use of artificial intelligence for

age verification

purposes

.



More information to users

From February 4, TikTok - the note again informs - will launch an

information campaign

both on the app and on other channels. On the app, the company will send

push notifications

to users before blocking them, and will inform them about the age entry requirement. Banners will also be posted to provide links with information on security tools and how to change profile settings from "public" to "private". On the web and in print, the campaign will specifically target

parents

, reiterating, among other things, the age limit for registering on the platform. Finally, for the benefit of minor users, TikTok will improve the summary of its Privacy Notice on the app for users under 18, in order to explain, in an accessible and engaging way, the types of data it collects and how it is processed. .



Awareness campaigns

In order to strengthen the protection action against children, the Guarantor for privacy also announces that it will launch

an awareness campaign

on

national television

, in collaboration with Telefono Azzurro, with the aim of recalling

parents

to play an active supervisory role and to pay particular attention to when children will be required to indicate their age to access TikTok. The platform announces that, following the talks in recent weeks between TikTok and the Guarantor and the agreement reached today, the platform also announces, from 4 February, the launch of a

security

awareness campaign

within the apps

and other media channels in Italy to raise awareness and education on security tools and features.  



ByteDance company: checks on all users

Alexandra Evans, Head of Child Safety, TikTok - Europe, comments on the new additional measures to support its Italian community: "The safety of the people who are part of the TikTok community is our top priority. We have reached an agreement with the Guarantor, the Italian data protection authority, and today we are taking further steps to support our community in Italy. Starting on February 9, we will re-pass every user in Italy through our

process of age verification

and only users aged 13 and over will be able to continue using the app after completing this process. We have also introduced a new

dedicated

report button

within the app to allow users to report an account they believe may belong to a user under the age of 13. Our team will review and remove these accounts, "he said Evans.



“When it comes to protecting our users, especially younger ones, there is no final goal and, as a result, our work in this area will not stop. That's why we continue to invest in the people, processes and technologies that help keep our community a safe space for positive and creative expression. ”, Concluded the spokesperson. For more information and to read all the measures available in the app for the protection of younger users, the company has put

'Our commitment to the safety of minors'

online on its

blogpost

. TikTok has also committed to double the number of

Italian-language moderators of the

content on the platform.