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The U.S. Department of Justice has filed a lawsuit against TikTok and its parent company ByteDance for allegedly failing to protect children’s privacy on the platform.
Alongside the Federal Trade Commission, the government has accused the popular social media app of not acting in the interests of young people’s privacy. It is alleged the company has violated the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, a law that prohibits collecting, using, or disclosing personal details of children under 13 without parental consent.
The Chinese-owned video hosting platform commands an audience of around 170 million US users, but it is currently embroiled in a fierce contest, aiming to stave off a new law that would implore ByteDance to divest TikTok’s US interests by Jan. 19 or face a ban in the States.
With geopolitics not far from the surface, this fresh lawsuit is the latest in the ongoing salvo against TikTok. US lawmakers believe the Chinese company poses a threat due to the potential for handing over huge swathes of data on Americans to the Beijing administration.
Just last week, the DOJ claimed ByteDance gathered “bulk” data on users’ views on gun control, abortion, and religion, and sent it back to China.
Justice Department Sues TikTok and Parent Company ByteDance for Widespread Violations of Children’s Privacy Laws
🔗: https://t.co/lneVbaoBkZ pic.twitter.com/OUZyKtHZzg
— DOJ Civil Division (@DOJCivil) August 2, 2024
TikTok’s fate could swing on presidential election
It is important to note that it is not just the US that has pushed back against TikTok after the United Kingdom and European Union launched separate actions alleging a failure to protect children, and for improperly handling data.
The Justice Department’s filing said, “For years, defendants have knowingly allowed children under 13 to create and use TikTok accounts without their parents’ knowledge or consent, have collected extensive data from those children, and have failed to comply with parents’ requests to delete their children’s accounts and personal information.”
It further outlined how the Chinese-owned platform knowingly allowed youngsters to set up accounts on the app, followed by creating and sharing content and messages with others, including adults. TikTok is accused of taking personal information from these accounts without the imperative of parental consent.
With a potential ban looming for the app, it has found an ally in presidential hopeful Donald Trump who said back in mid-July, “I’m for TikTok because you need competition. If you don’t have TikTok, you have Facebook and Instagram.”
That is also a reference Mark Zuckerberg and Meta (the parent of both platforms); in any case, Trump’s real policy on TikTok is unclear — especially considering his previous administration’s on-the-record hostility to China in the form of a tariffs regime.
Image credit: Via Ideogram
