Lamseen – The United States Justice Department has initiated a lawsuit against TikTok and its parent company, ByteDance, on Friday Aug 2. Citing failure to safeguard children’s privacy on the social media platform. This action is part of the Biden administration’s ongoing efforts to regulate the site.
According to the government, TikTok breached the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). Which mandates that services targeting children must obtain parental consent before collecting personal data from users under 13 years old.
TikTok, a Chinese-owned short-video platform with around 170 million users in the U.S., is also currently contesting a new law. This legislation requires ByteDance to divest its U.S. assets by January 19 or face a potential ban.
This lawsuit represents the latest measure by the U.S. against TikTok and ByteDance. Amid concerns that the company is collecting extensive data on Americans for the Chinese government and potentially influencing content in a harmful manner.
The lawsuit, supported by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), seeks to halt what it describes as “TikTok’s unlawful large-scale invasions of children’s privacy.” Representative Frank Pallone, the leading Democrat on the Energy and Commerce Committee. Emphasized the necessity of removing Tik Tok from the control of the Chinese Communist Party, arguing that it is crucial to prevent adversaries from accessing Americans’ sensitive data.
In response, TikTok stated on Friday that it disagrees with the allegations. Noting that many pertain to past practices that are either inaccurately represented or have been addressed. The company expressed pride in its efforts to protect children and pledged to continue improving the platform.
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The Justice Department accuses TikTok of knowingly allowing children to create regular accounts. Thereby enabling them to produce and share videos and messages with adults and others on the platform. TikTok allegedly collected personal data from these children without obtaining parental consent.
The U.S. claims that millions of American children under 13 have used Tik Tok over the years. The site has been collecting and retaining their personal information.
FTC Chair Lina Khan stated that TikTok repeatedly violated children’s privacy, endangering millions of children across the country. The FTC seeks penalties of up to $51,744 per violation per day from TikTok for improper data collection, potentially amounting to billions of dollars if TikTok is found liable.
In 2020, Reuters reported that the FTC and the Justice Department were investigating allegations that TikTok failed to adhere to a 2019 agreement to protect children’s privacy.
Last year, TikTok faced fines from the European Union and the United Kingdom over its handling of children’s data.
Recently, the U.S. Senate passed a bill that would extend COPPA protections to include teenagers up to age 17, ban targeted advertising to children and teens, and allow parents and children to delete their information from social media platforms. For the bill to become law, it must pass in the Republican-controlled House, which is currently on recess until September.
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