Between ByteDance (owner of TikTok) and the United States, things are not going well. The short-video entertainment app is once again in the sights of the country’s administrations with a serious accusation. TikTok is accused of violating several laws on the protection of children’s privacy in the United States. This new case, which will do a lot of harm to TikTok’s image, is making headlines in all the media in a context where TikTok could soon be banned.
TikTok in new US case
The U.S. Department of Justice has filed a lawsuit against TikTok and its parent company, ByteDance, accusing them of violating the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA)This legislation, which aims to protect children under 13 from unauthorized collection of their personal data, has allegedly been violated by TikTok since 2019.
The Justice Department has accused TikTok of allowing children to create accounts on its platform since 2019 without obtaining parental consent. This practice violates COPPA requirements, which require companies to receive verifiable parental consent before collecting personal information from children.
The indictment also includes the fact that TikTok allegedly exposed millions of children under the age of 13 to extensive data collection. Worse still, these children were able to interact with adult users and access adult content, creating a potentially dangerous environment for young users.
The Justice Department also claims that TikTok makes it difficult for parents to delete their child’s account and data. This complexity is a further violation of COPPA, which requires companies to make it easy for parents to remove personal information collected about their children.
In light of these serious allegations, the Justice Department is seeking civil penalties for each violation of COPPA. In addition, it is seeking an injunction to prevent TikTok from continuing to collect data from children without complying with legal requirements. This injunction would aim to immediately protect the platform’s young users by ensuring their privacy and safety online.
Download the free app TikTok: It starts with you
