Ireland’s data regulator has hit TikTok, the popular Chinese-owned video broadcasting app with an enormous €345 million fine over breaches of the privacy of children on the site.

Helen Dixon, Ireland’s Data Protection Commissioner (DPC), led the investigation leading to the charges, revealing that adults were able to enable direct messaging on the accounts of specific teenagers with accounts on the platform, even if they were unrelated to them. The revelation stirred fears regarding the app’s “family pairing” feature, which could allow a child’s account to become linked to that of an unverified adult which was not their parent or guardian.

According to a report in the Irish Times, the DPC investigation found numerous violations of data laws in the EU by TikTok, especially around the accounts of teenagers.

The company was also criticized over its failure to protect pre-teens on the platform.

The app, which allows users to post short, viral dance videos, comedy sketches, and other videos has become a global sensation, with over a billion users throughout the world.

Among the primary concerns raised in the investigation was the default account settings for children on TikTok. The settings defaulted a child’s account to publicly viewable, allowed their comments to be viewed publicly, and by default it enabled features like Duet and Stitch, which allow users to incorporate content from other users.

In addition, the investigation discovered that the app’s security team had failed to examine the risks to children under the age of 13 who gained access to the app with these default settings on their accounts, which would allow anyone on the internet, with a TikTok account or not, to view the content posted by these children,

The investigation was focused around violations of EU law between July and December of 2020. The Irish regular ordered that the company, TikTok Technology Ltd to bring its data processing practices into compliance within three months of the order, which was delivered to the company on Friday, September 1st.

TikTok issued a statement which expressed disagreement with the decision of the regulator, especially the size of the fine which was imposed. The company noted that many of the features which the regulator criticized had only been in place three years ago, and had been updated or changed long before the investigation began. The company pointed specifically to its privacy settings, which it noted are set to private for all users under 16 by default.

The company has hinted that it may appeal the DPC’s decision to the High Court, which could mean the case is far from over.

When asked if it intended to appeal the ruling of the DPC to the High Court, a spokesman for TikTok said, “we are evaluating our next steps.”