The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has fined MediaLab, owner of image sharing and hosting platform Imgur, £247,590 for failing to use children’s personal information lawfully.

The penalty follows an investigation that found MediaLab allowed children to use Imgur without putting in place the basic safeguards required under UK data protection law.

The ICO concluded MediaLab breached the law by:

• Failing to implement any measures to check the age of users;
• Processing the personal information of children under 13 without parental consent or any other lawful basis when offering online services;
• Failing to carry out a data protection impact assessment to identify and reduce privacy risks to children.

John Edwards, UK Information Commissioner, said: “MediaLab failed in its legal duties to protect children, putting them at unnecessary risk.

“For years, it allowed children to use Imgur without any effective age checks, while collecting and processing their data, which in turn exposed them to harmful and inappropriate content.”