The United States has filed a lawsuit accusing TikTok of violating children’s privacy by collecting data without parental consent, breaching the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). Since 2019, the app has been collecting personal data from young users without informing parents, even in the “Kids Mode” for users under 13.
The Department of Justice and FTC allege that TikTok and its parent company ByteDance repeatedly disregarded parents’ requests to remove their children’s accounts and data, posing a threat to children’s privacy. This legal action follows a previous COPPA-related case involving Musical.ly, now part of TikTok, which forced the app to comply with privacy regulations.
Legal battles of forced sale
The US Justice Department has cited TikTok’s data collection as a national security concern, responding to legal challenges against a law requiring the app’s sale or facing a ban. TikTok claims the law violates free speech, but the US argues it addresses security risks posed by ByteDance’s potential cooperation with the Chinese government.
As the legal dispute unfolds, TikTok stands firm against a potential ban, emphasizing the First Amendment rights of its American users. Despite President Biden’s deadline for a non-Chinese buyer by 2025, ByteDance’s reluctance to sell leaves the lawsuit as the app’s last hope to continue operating in the US.
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