US DOJ files lawsuit against TikTok, ByteDance for failing on child privacy
Al Jazeera
The US alleges that for years millions of American children under 13 have been using TikTok and the site ‘has been collecting and retaining’ their data.
The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) has filed a lawsuit against TikTok and parent company ByteDance for failing to protect children’s privacy on the social media app
The government said on Friday TikTok violated the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) that requires services aimed at children to obtain parental consent to collect personal information from users under age 13.
The lawsuit is the latest US action against TikTok and its Chinese parent over fears the company improperly collects vast amounts of data on Americans for the Chinese government, while influencing content in a way that potentially harms Americans.
TikTok said Friday it disagrees “with these allegations, many of which relate to past events and practices that are factually inaccurate or have been addressed. We are proud of our efforts to protect children, and we will continue to update and improve the platform.”
The suit, also 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”.
