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UK Investigates TikTok, Reddit, and Imgur Over Children’s Data Privacy
- Written by Andrea Miliani Former Tech News Expert
- Fact-Checked by Sarah Frazier Former Content Manager
The United Kingdom’s data protection watchdog, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), announced this Monday that it has launched an investigation into how Reddit, TikTok, and the image-sharing platform Imgur safeguard children’s personal information.
In a Rush? Here are the Quick Facts!
- The UK’s ICO is investigating Reddit, TikTok, and Imgur over concerns about children’s data protection.
- The probe examines TikTok’s content recommendations and Reddit and Imgur’s age verification measures.
- The investigation aligns with the UK’s Children’s Code, aiming to strengthen online child safety.
According to the official announcement , the decision to pursue these investigations follows growing concerns about data usage.
“We welcome the technology and innovation that companies like social media bring to the UK and want them to thrive in our economy. But this cannot be at the expense of children’s privacy,” said John Edwards, UK Information Commissioner. “If social media and video sharing platforms want to benefit from operating in the UK they must comply with data protection law.”
The ICO explained that the TikTok investigation is focused on the use of data from children between 13 and 17 years old and the recommendations this platform’s algorithms have been suggesting. The institution raised concerns over harmful and inappropriate suggestions to teenagers in the U.K.
The investigations into Reddit and Imgur are also related to the use of data but focus more on age assurance measures. A recent report shared by the Australian online safety regulator ESafety , revealed concerns regarding age verification systems and how children can easily bypass the current safety measures used by multiple social media platforms. ESafety’s survey revealed Reddit did not know how many users between 13 and 17 used its platform.
ICO will consider possible data protection infringements and will take action accordingly. The agency also explained that these investigations are part of their wider commitment to the Children’s Code—also known as the Age-Appropriate Design Code (AADC), which came into force in 2021—to ensure children’s privacy and safety.
“I also want to take this opportunity to assure children, parents, and carers in the UK that we are working on their behalf to make the online world a safer place,” said Edwards.
A few weeks ago, the UK became the first country in the world to ban and punish sexual AI-generated content related to child sexual abuse material.
Image by Elena Koycheva, from Unsplash
Call Center Giant Uses AI To Neutralize Indian Workers’ Accents
- Written by Kiara Fabbri Former Tech News Writer
- Fact-Checked by Sarah Frazier Former Content Manager
French outsourcing giant Teleperformance has introduced an AI-powered accent translation tool to soften the accents of Indian call center workers in real time.
In a Rush? Here are the Quick Facts!
- The tool, developed by Sanas, aims to improve customer satisfaction and call efficiency.
- Critics argue it erases cultural identity and reinforces biases against regional accents.
- Teleperformance invested €100M in AI and secured exclusive rights to resell Sanas technology.
The company claims the technology, developed by Palo Alto-based startup Sanas, enhances customer satisfaction by making conversations more intelligible for English-speaking clients.
“When you have an Indian agent on the line, sometimes it’s hard to hear, to understand,” said Teleperformance Deputy CEO Thomas Mackenbrock in an interview with Bloomberg .
He added that the tool “neutralizes the accent of the Indian speaker with zero latency,” which he believes “creates more intimacy, increases the customer satisfaction, and reduces the average handling time: it is a win-win for both parties.”
Despite these assurances, the announcement has sparked mixed reactions. Critics argue that the AI tool effectively erases cultural identity, reinforcing biases against regional accents, as noted by The Times .
The Times argues that while global AI trends aim to make machine voices more human and inclusive of diverse accents, Teleperformance’s approach moves in the opposite direction, homogenizing human speech.
Binoo John, author of Entry From Backside Only, suggests the preference for Western accents is pragmatic rather than prejudiced. “Western customers prefer western accents because it makes the interaction smooth and easy.
“Indians too love those accents and anyone with a western accent gets better jobs and incomes so it’s pretty universal,” he told The Times.
Others, however, see the tool as reinforcing linguistic discrimination. Former Bangalore call center worker Akhilesh Agarwal questioned the fairness of the technology, telling The Times: “It’s not really neutralisation is it? That’s just sugaring the pill. It’s favoring an American or British accent above an Indian one. I wonder if they’d neutralise a Scottish or Irish accent? I doubt it.”
Bloomberg notes that the rollout comes as Teleperformance invests heavily in AI, committing €100 million ($104 million) to AI partnerships this year. The company’s exclusive deal with Sanas, which received $13 million in investment from Teleperformance, makes it the sole reseller of the technology to its clients, including Apple, Samsung, and TikTok.
Investor confidence, however, appears shaky. Teleperformance shares fell by over 10% following the announcement, with JPMorgan analyst Sylvia Barker writing that the company’s margins “missed expectations despite higher-than-anticipated synergies,” as reported by Bloomberg.
The shift towards AI in call centers, as seen in India, reflects a broader trend affecting other hubs globally. In the Philippines, for instance, the rapid adoption of AI in the BPO industry—critical to the country’s economy—is reshaping the landscape.
The introduction of AI tools in the sector is driven by the same cost-cutting pressures that once prompted outsourcing jobs to places like India and the Philippines in the first place.
While AI promises greater efficiency, it is also raising concerns about job displacement. Some workers in the Philippines have already felt the effects , with roles being automated or even eliminated.
Teleperformance has framed AI as a complement to, rather than a replacement for, human workers. Mackenbrock emphasized, “AI will be ubiquitous, it is already today. But in order to build connections, customer experience, branding awareness, the human element will be incredibly important,” as reported by Bloomberg
Nonetheless, concerns persist over AI’s role in outsourcing. The rise of AI chatbots, such as Klarna’s OpenAI-powered assistant, has put pressure on traditional call centers.
Klarna CEO Sebastian Siemiatkowski recently acknowledged AI’s growing dominance, but assured that “in a world of AI, nothing will be as valuable as humans,” reports Bloomberg.
As AI continues to reshape customer service, the debate over accent translation highlights broader tensions between efficiency, cultural identity, and the role of human workers in an increasingly automated industry.
