TikTok Under New US Scrutiny for Child Privacy Concerns

TikTok is involved in another controversy, as the U.S. Justice Department filed a lawsuit against the company on 2nd August. The lawsuit alleges that TikTok has been illegally collecting data from children under the age of 13 without parental consent, escalating the ongoing conflict between the U.S. government and the Chinese-owned app.

According to the government's complaint, TikTok violated the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) by allowing children to create accounts without their parents' knowledge and collecting personal information such as email addresses, phone numbers, and location data. The lawsuit also claims that TikTok often ignored parents' requests to delete their children's accounts and data. COPPA sets rules for websites and online services aimed at children under 13. 

This legal action follows a 2019 agreement between TikTok and the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC), where TikTok had pledged to notify parents before collecting children's data and to remove videos from users under 13. The Justice Department contends that TikTok has continued to flout these regulations, prompting the current lawsuit filed in a federal court in Southern California. The suit also names TikTok's parent company, ByteDance, seeking fines for the alleged violations.

The government's objective is clear, to stop what it describes as TikTok’s "unlawful massive-scale invasions of children’s privacy." This lawsuit marks the latest clash in a series of confrontations between the U.S. government and TikTok, which boasts over 170 million users in the United States. President Biden has even signed a law that could potentially lead to the sale or ban of the app by the end of January due to national security concerns, a move that TikTok is legally contesting.

Lawmakers and regulators have increasingly scrutinised TikTok, particularly for its impact on children. Senators have raised concerns about online safety, questioning TikTok's CEO Shou Chew alongside other tech executives. TikTok, the second-most popular social media platform among teenagers after YouTube, has faced accusations of fostering an online environment that puts children at risk.

Despite TikTok's claims of committing significant resources to make its platform safe, including restricting features like direct messaging and livestream hosting for users under 16 and 18 respectively, the lawsuit argues that these measures have been insufficient. Until late 2020, the complaint alleges, TikTok allowed children who were initially rejected due to their age to simply re-enter a different birthdate to create an account.

As this legal battle unfolds, the Justice Department seeks civil penalties and a court order to prevent future violations of COPPA. The outcome of this lawsuit could significantly impact TikTok's operations and its approach to data privacy, especially for its youngest users.

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