US sues TikTok for extensive child privacy violations

.On Friday, the US filed a complaint against TikTok for allegedly violating children’s privacy by collecting data without parental authorization, in violation of the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). The Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) have joined forces in a civil litigation against the famous video-sharing app and its Chinese parent firm, ByteDance.


“TikTok knowingly and repeatedly violated kids’ privacy, threatening the safety of millions of children across the country,” Lina Khan, the chairman of the FTC, stated. The suit claims that TikTok has enabled children to use the service since 2019, collecting personal data without parental consent, even in “Kids Mode.”


The US claims that for years, millions of American children under the age of 13 have used TikTok, and the site “has been collecting and retaining children’s personal information.”

“TikTok knowingly and repeatedly violated kids’ privacy, threatening the safety of millions of children across the country,” said FTC Chair Lina Khan, whose agency referred the issue to the Justice Department in June.

The FTC is seeking penalties of up to $51,744 per violation per day from TikTok for unlawful data collection, which could potentially amount to billions of dollars if TikTok is found guilty.

In 2020, Reuters reported that the FTC and Justice Department were investigating charges that the popular social media app failed to comply with a 2019 agreement aimed at protecting children’s privacy.

The US Justice Department has also accused ByteDance of posing a threat to national security. The agency expressed fear that ByteDance could be forced to provide user data with the Chinese government or influence content, jeopardizing American interests.

“Given TikTok’s broad reach within the United States, the capacity for China to use TikTok’s features to achieve its overarching objective to undermine American interests creates a national-security threat of immense depth and scale,” according to the Justice Department.


TikTok contests these allegations, claiming that the law requiring its sale violates the First Amendment. “The TikTok ban would silence 170 million Americans’ voices, violating the First Amendment,” according to the corporation.

In response, the Justice Department believes that the statute is about national security, not free expression, and emphasizes the need of preventing ByteDance from utilizing children’s private information without parental agreement. “This action is necessary to prevent the defendants from collecting and using young children’s private information without parental consent or control,” Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian Boynton stated.

The present complaint follows one filed in 2019 against ByteDance’s predecessor, Musical.ly, for identical COPPA violations. TikTok committed to follow COPPA standards, but allegedly failed to do so properly.

TikTok continues to receive criticism for data privacy concerns. The FTC is seeking fines of up to $51,744 per violation per day from TikTok for unlawful data collection, which could amount to billions of dollars.

The Biden administration’s campaign on TikTok includes a measure approved earlier this year that requires ByteDance to relinquish its US holdings by January 2025 or face a ban. ByteDance has no plans to sell TikTok, paving the way for a legal battle that could reach the US Supreme Court.

“TikTok disagrees with these allegations, many of which relate to past events and practices that are factually inaccurate or have been addressed,” according to the business statement. “We are proud of our efforts to protect children and will continue to update and improve the platform.”

The ongoing legal battles reveal a larger conflict between the US government and TikTok over privacy and national security concerns.