U.S. sues ByteDance, TikTok over children privacy violations

The U.S. Justice Department and Federal Trade Commission filed a lawsuit Friday against TikTok and parent company ByteDance for failing to protect children’s privacy on the social media app.

The government said TikTok violated a law that prohibits collecting, using, or disclosing personal information from children under 13 without parental consent.

The DOJ said TikTok knowingly permitted children to create regular TikTok accounts, and then create and share short-form videos and messages with adults and others on the regular TikTok platform. TikTok collected personal information from these children without obtaining consent from their parents.

In March, a source told Reuters the FTC could resolve a probe into TikTok over allegedly faulty privacy and data security practices by either filing suit or reaching a settlement.

Reuters in 2020 first reported the FTC and the U.S. Justice Department were looking into allegations the popular social media app failed to live up to a 2019 agreement aimed at protecting children’s privacy.

The Chinese-owned short-video platform boasts around 170 million U.S. users, and is currently fighting a new law that would force ByteDance to divest TikTok’s U.S. assets by Jan. 19 or face a ban.

The company last year faced fines from the European Union and U.K. over its handling of children’s data.

On Tuesday, U.S. Senate passed a bill that would extend COPPA to cover teenagers up to age 17, ban targeted advertising to kids and teens, and give parents and kids the option to delete their information from social media platforms.

The bill would need to pass in the Republican-controlled House, currently on recess until September, to become law.

TikTok said in June it has been working with the FTC for more than a year to address the agency’s concerns and said it was “disappointed the agency is pursuing litigation instead of continuing to work with us on a reasonable solution.”

(Reporting by Jody Godoy and David ShepardsonEditing by Nick Zieminski)