After failing to take adequate measures to safeguard users against the illegal processing of their data, Turkish authorities have fined Tiktok $93,000), as per an announcement made by Turkey’s Personal Data Protection Board (KVKK).

This move follows increasing global concerns about the popular Chinese short video-sharing app and who can access its user data. 

The company, which is owned by Chinese firm ByteDance, insists it operates no differently from other social media companies and says it would never comply with an order to transfer data.

Recently, the app was banned by the US, European Union and Canada from government officials’ devices over security concerns. 

According to the KVKK, Tiktok has been penalized for “not taking all necessary measures to ensure the appropriate level of security to prevent unlawful processing of personal data.” 

In addition, the data protection authority stated on its website that TikTok needs to translate its terms of service into Turkish and update its privacy and cookies policy texts to comply with the country’s regulations.

According to data from Statista, Turkey has the ninth most users of TikTok in the world, with over 30 million accounts on the social media platform.

Responding to the ban, social media expressed its disappointment. 

The app is all set to roll out its new daily screen measure for its users under 18 to help them in controlling their screen time.