• A UK regulator today fined Reddit £14.5 million ($19.6 million) for not verifying the ages of users. • The UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) alleged that the failure to check ages resulted in Reddit illegally using children’s personal information. • “Our investigation found that Reddit failed to apply any robust age assurance mechanism and therefore did not have a lawful basis for processing the personal information of children under the age of 13… These failures meant Reddit was using children’s data unlawfully, potentially exposing them to inappropriate and harmful content,” an ICOpress releasesaid. • The ICO findings are based on Reddit’s actions prior to its July 2025 rollout of a system that verifies UK users’ ages before letting them view adult content. • But the ICO said it is still concerned about Reddit’s post-July 2025 system because the company relies on users to declare their ages when opening an account. • Reddit today said it will appeal the fine and criticized the ICO for demanding more collection of private information.

Article Summaries:

  • The UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) fined Reddit £14.5 million ($19.6 million) for failing to verify users’ ages, allowing the platform to process children’s personal data without a lawful basis. The ICO’s investigation covered the period before Reddit’s July 2025 rollout of an age‑verification system that blocks under‑13 users from adult content. Although the new system will check UK users’ ages, the ICO remains concerned that it relies on self‑declared information. Reddit has said it will appeal the fine and criticised the ICO for demanding more personal data, arguing that its privacy policy limits data collection and protects user anonymity.

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