TikTok has been fined nearly 1.9 million pounds by the UK for failing to provide security data in a timely manner

Short video platform TikTok has been fined nearly £1.9 million for failing to provide secure data in a timely manner, Ofcom has said.

Ofcom said on Wednesday that the platform communicated inaccurate information last year but failed to address the issue quickly.

"Ofcom has imposed a fine on TikTok for failing to respond accurately to a formal request for information on parental control safety features," the regulator said in a statement.

TikTok admitted in a statement provided to AFP that it provided inaccurate data to Ofcom and "significantly" underestimated the number of people using the tool. "Although we subsequently provided the correct information, we failed in our duty to report the error sooner and apologise for any disruption this caused."

A TikTok spokesperson said: "We are committed to fully cooperating with all Ofcom requests and have implemented internal process improvements."

Ofcom noted that this was TikTok's first breach and that the fine was 25% below the maximum, adding that "despite the error, TikTok voluntarily reported the error to us and has taken steps to improve its internal processes, which is also a fact we take very seriously."