TORONTO — The Canadian Civil Liberties Association is deeply concerned by the findings of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada and provincial counterparts in their joint investigation of TikTok.
The finding highlights that TikTok’s data practices involve the collection of sensitive personal information, including health, political opinions, gender identity, and sexual orientation. Investigators specifically flagged the troubling fact that TikTok’s ad platform at one point allowed advertisers to target users based on their transgender identity.
TikTok was found to use biometric technologies such as facial and voice analytics to infer users’ age and gender, including for ad targeting and content recommendations.
These practices were not adequately explained to users, leaving them unaware of the collection and use of highly sensitive information. Nor were users asked to “opt in” to many of TikTok’s more intrusive data collection practices, many of which are activated by default.
When powerful digital platforms collect sensitive data about children and youth, profile them, and target them with ads and content without valid consent, the risks extend beyond privacy.
Today’s report underscores the urgent need for privacy law reform at the federal level so that platforms are incentivized to proactively comply with their privacy obligations.
About the Canadian Civil Liberties Association
The CCLA is an independent, non-profit organization with supporters from across the country. Founded in 1964, the CCLA is a national human rights organization committed to defending the rights, dignity, safety, and freedoms of all people in Canada.
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