Justice Department Files Lawsuit Against TikTok for Violating Children’s Privacy
On Friday, the U.S. Department of Justice took a significant step by filing a lawsuit against TikTok, alleging that the popular social media platform has been unlawfully collecting personal data from children under the age of 13. This legal action marks a notable escalation in the ongoing tensions between the U.S. government and the Chinese-owned app.
The government’s complaint states that TikTok violated the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) by gathering sensitive information from young users without obtaining proper parental consent. The lawsuit accuses the company of knowingly permitting users below the age of 13 to create and maintain accounts on the platform. Furthermore, TikTok reportedly failed to comply with numerous parental requests to delete these accounts, raising serious concerns about the safety of children’s data.
This lawsuit, which has been lodged in the United States District Court for the Central District of California, highlights TikTok’s alleged disregard for both federal law and a 2019 agreement made with the government. Under this agreement, TikTok had committed to notifying parents before collecting any data from children and pledged to remove videos uploaded by users under 13. The lawsuit also implicates TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, and seeks financial penalties for the violations.
Benjamin C. Mizer, the acting assistant attorney general, emphasized the importance of this legal action, stating, “With this action, the Department seeks to ensure that TikTok honors its obligation to protect children’s privacy rights and parents’ efforts to protect their children.”
As of now, TikTok has not responded to requests for comment regarding the lawsuit. This legal battle is just the latest in a series of confrontations between the U.S. government and TikTok, which boasts over 170 million users in the United States alone. Earlier this year, President Biden signed legislation that could potentially force a sale or ban of the app by the end of January, citing national security concerns. In response, TikTok has initiated legal proceedings to challenge the government’s plans.
