Reddit fined £14m by UK data watchdog over age check failings

Source: BBC Technology

Reddit fined £14.47 million by UK ICO

Reddit has been fined £14.47 million by the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) for unlawfully using children’s personal information. The ICO said the platform failed to properly verify the age of its users, putting children at risk of exposure to inappropriate and harmful content online.

“It’s concerning that a company the size of Reddit failed in its legal duty to protect the personal information of UK children,”
— John Edwards, UK Information Commissioner

ICO findings

• Reddit relied on users simply declaring their age when creating an account, a method the ICO described as “easy to bypass.”
• Although Reddit’s terms of service state that users under 13 are not allowed on the site, the regulator estimated that “there were a large number of children under 13 on the platform.”
• As a result, the platform processed children’s data without a lawful basis.
• Under UK law, companies must take extra care when collecting data from child users, who may be less aware of the associated risks.

“To do this, they need to be confident they know the age of their users and have appropriate, effective age‑assurance measures in place. Reddit failed to meet these expectations.”
— John Edwards, ICO

The regulator added that companies operating online services likely to be accessed by children have a responsibility to protect them, including ensuring that data collection does not expose them to risk.

Reddit’s response

In a statement, Reddit said it “didn’t require users to share information about their identities, regardless of age, because we are deeply committed to their privacy and safety.” The company also described the ICO’s insistence on collecting more private information on every UK user as “counterintuitive and at odds with our strong belief in our users’ online privacy and safety.” Reddit indicated it intends to appeal the decision.