TikTok is under legal scrutiny once again as the US Justice Department has filed a lawsuit accusing the popular social media platform of failing to prevent children from accessing its app and unlawfully collecting their personal data. The lawsuit, filed on Friday, alleges that TikTok and its parent company, ByteDance, have violated the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) by permitting minors to create accounts without parental consent and by collecting sensitive personal information, including email addresses, phone numbers, and location data.
The lawsuit builds on a 2019 settlement between TikTok and the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC), which resolved allegations that TikTok had illegally gathered personal data from children under 13. This settlement required TikTok to implement measures to comply with COPPA. However, the Justice Department claims that TikTok has continued to breach COPPA regulations and the terms of the 2019 agreement.
Despite offering a “Kids Mode” designed for users under 13, the complaint asserts that TikTok has still allowed children to create accounts in the main app and collect detailed personal data without obtaining parental consent or notifying parents. The lawsuit, filed in a California district court, underscores ongoing concerns about TikTok’s data privacy practices.
This legal action is part of broader scrutiny surrounding TikTok, which is also entangled in legal battles that could lead to a potential ban in the United States. Additionally, TikTok has previously faced fines in Europe for similar privacy violations involving children. The FTC’s investigation into TikTok’s compliance with COPPA began earlier this year, prompting the Justice Department to take legal action following the FTC’s referral.
FTC Chair Lina Khan criticized TikTok’s practices, stating, “TikTok knowingly and repeatedly violated kids’ privacy, threatening the safety of millions of children across the country.”
TikTok has disputed these allegations, with spokesperson Michael Hughes arguing, “We disagree with these allegations, many of which relate to past events and practices that are factually inaccurate or have been addressed.” He emphasized TikTok’s commitment to child safety through features like age-appropriate experiences, strict safeguards, default screen time limits, and Family Pairing.
The lawsuit also claims that until late 2020, TikTok permitted children who attempted to sign up with incorrect birthdates to retry creating accounts. Furthermore, the complaint alleges that TikTok’s process for parents to request data deletion was “convoluted” and often ignored.
The Justice Department is seeking civil penalties and a court order to enforce compliance with COPPA and prevent future violations by TikTok.
Keywords: TikTok lawsuit, COPPA violations, ByteDance, children’s privacy, data collection, FTC, Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, Kids Mode, US Justice Department, data privacy, social media regulations.