The Cost of Not Including Language in Your Compliance Strategy

Introduction

Privacy concerns are causing a crackdown by regulators on tech companies and social platforms for the way they collect and process personally identifiable information; failure to adhere to new regulations—including language accessibility requirements—is quickly becoming a key  reason for financial setback of many businesses

This has been a hard lesson to learn for TikTok, as the Netherlands’ DPA (Dutch Protection Authority) fined the sensational entertainment app a whopping 725,000 EUR for failing to provide transparent privacy terms in Dutch.  The DPA is accusing TikTok of endangering the privacy of their young audience by not having an easy-to-read privacy statement in their native language, exposing them to online risks and unauthorized distribution of their content.

Newly established privacy laws are tied to language accessibility—in the eyes of the law, everyone has a right to know and understand how their personal information is collected, processed, and distributed.

While TikTok offers a privacy statement in English, the lack of accessibility of the same information in other languages could have audiences, especially younger users, agreeing to terms they normally would not accept in order to join in on the buzz.

Going viral may be a dream come true for some, but it exposes underage users to online threats when their private information (videos, location, faces) is redistributed without consent—consent they cannot give if they are unable to read and understand TikTok’s privacy terms. This case is another example of how globalization has catapulted accessibility to new heights as a key factor in business success.

Language accessibility is no longer “nice to have”—it’s a need.

While data privacy laws are only recently gaining traction in courts, multilingual countries have obligated public and private organizations to provide crucial information in multiple languages, such as Canada’s requirement to offer English and French options on all products and websites, for decades.

Legal crackdowns related to data and language compliance, like in TikTok’s case, will become increasingly common if organizations do not take a proactive stance on establishing proper language compliance strategies. Aside from bulletproofing the company and keeping penalties off the books, a complete language strategy is an excellent method to demonstrate the importance of diversity and inclusion, helping organizations build presence and loyalty internationally.

Offering accessibility through language should not be difficult—and it’s not.

Advancement in technology created the opportunities to  develop language solutions that integrate seamlessly into existing workflows and databases. Incorporating inclusive language options can be an effortless addition to compliance strategies.

MotionPoint saw the need to provide language alternatives in the early 2000s, right when the world wide web was beginning to make information worldwide. We have helped countless companies and governmental organizations implement language as part of their compliance strategies for the greater part of two decades. Our turn-key solution is safe and secure, providing effortless translation of crucial information instantly for international banks, governments, and multinational corporations.

Contact us if you would like to learn more about how we can help you optimize your compliance strategies.