US sues TikTok over ‘massive-scale’ privacy violations of kids under 13

The U.S. Justice Department filed a lawsuit Friday against TikTok and parent company ByteDance for failing to protect children’s privacy on the social media app as the Biden administration continues its crackdown on the social media site. These TikTok privacy violations have raised serious concerns about the platform’s data protection policies. #TikTokPrivacyViolations

The government said TikTok violated the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act. This law requires services aimed at children to obtain parental consent for collecting personal information from users under 13.

The Chinese-owned short-video platform boasts around 170 million U.S. users. TikTok is currently fighting a new law that would force ByteDance to divest TikTok’s U.S. assets by Jan. 19 or face a ban.

The lawsuit is the latest U.S. action against TikTok and its Chinese parent. It concerns fears that the company collects vast data on Americans for the Chinese government and influences content harmfully.

The suit, which was joined by the Federal Trade Commission, said it was aimed at putting an end “to TikTok’s unlawful massive-scale invasions of children’s privacy.”

Representative Frank Pallone, the top Democrat on the Energy and Commerce Committee, emphasized the suit’s importance. He urged divesting TikTok from Chinese Communist Party control. Allowing adversaries to harvest Americans’ sensitive data must stop.

TikTok stated Friday that it disagrees with these allegations. Many relate to past events or inaccuracies that have been addressed. The company prides itself on protecting children and will continue to improve the platform. #TikTokPrivacyViolations

Furthermore, the lawsuit claims that TikTok failed to obtain proper parental consent before collecting children’s data.

Addressing these TikTok privacy violations is essential to restore user trust. Ultimately, the outcome of this lawsuit could have wide-ranging implications for the entire social media industry