US files lawsuit against TikTok for alleged illegal collection of children's data

The US Justice Department has sued TikTok, alleging that the popular app illegally collected personal data from users under 13 years old. This lawsuit marks a significant escalation in the ongoing conflict between the US government and the Chinese-owned social media platform.

The complaint, filed in a federal court in Southern California, accuses TikTok of violating the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act by allowing children under 13 to create accounts and failing to delete their information when requested by parents, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media.

The lawsuit also claims that TikTok did not honor a 2019 agreement with the government, which required the company to seek parental consent before collecting data from minors and to remove videos posted by users under 13.

The complaint seeks financial penalties against both TikTok and its parent company, ByteDance, for these alleged breaches. “We are committed to ending TikTok’s unlawful, large-scale invasions of children’s privacy,” the government stated.

TikTok has responded by rejecting these claims, stating that many of the allegations pertain to outdated practices that have already been addressed. "We are proud of our efforts to protect children and will continue to update and improve the platform,” said TikTok Spokesperson Alex Haurek.

The lawsuit follows a series of regulatory challenges for TikTok, including a recent law signed by President Biden that could lead to a sale or ban of the app due to national security concerns. Additionally, TikTok faces scrutiny from lawmakers and regulators over its impact on children's online safety.

Globally, TikTok has been fined for similar issues, including a 345-million-euro penalty from the European Union for failing to protect young users’ privacy and a British fine for allowing over a million underage children to use its service.

The new lawsuit is the culmination of a lengthy Federal Trade Commission (FTC) investigation into TikTok’s practices. The FTC's earlier probe, which led to a record $5.7 million fine in 2019, found that TikTok’s predecessor, Musical.ly, had violated children's privacy laws.

The current complaint highlights new issues, including TikTok’s failure to properly monitor accounts for underage users and allegations that the app continued to collect personal data even when users were set to “Kids Mode.” The government also claims TikTok shared data with third parties to attract young users back to the platform.

If TikTok loses the case or settles, it could face significant financial penalties, potentially amounting to billions of dollars, according to experts.