US Files Lawsuit Against TikTok Over Children's Privacy Violations

The US Justice Department has sued TikTok and ByteDance for failing to protect children's privacy. They are accused of violating COPPA by collecting data from users under 13 without consent. The FTC seeks penalties that could amount to billions of dollars if TikTok is found liable.

The US Justice Department has filed a lawsuit against TikTok and its parent company, ByteDance, alleging that the popular social media platform failed to protect children's privacy, according to reports from Nikkei Asia. This action is a part of the Biden administration's broader efforts to scrutinize TikTok's data practices and their national security implications.

The lawsuit claims TikTok violated the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) by collecting personal information from users under 13 without parental consent. The Justice Department stated that TikTok knowingly allowed children to create regular accounts and collected their personal data without required parental permissions. TikTok, which has about 170 million US users, is also under pressure from a new law mandating ByteDance to divest TikTok's US assets by January 19, 2025, or face a ban.

Joining the lawsuit, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is seeking penalties that could reach billions of dollars if TikTok is found liable. FTC Chair Lina Khan emphasized, "TikTok knowingly and repeatedly violated kids' privacy, threatening the safety of millions of children across the country." TikTok has disputed the allegations, claiming that many concerns are either outdated or addressed. "We are proud of our efforts to protect children and will continue to update and improve the platform," TikTok stated in response.

The suit follows a 2020 Reuters report on TikTok's compliance with a 2019 agreement to protect children's data. The company has also faced fines in the EU and UK for similar violations. Meanwhile, the US Senate recently passed a bill extending COPPA protections to cover teenagers up to age 17, banning targeted ads to minors, and allowing for data deletion from social platforms. The House will review the bill after its recess.