TikTok might soon face more legal troubles in the US amid calls to the ban the app. This time coming from the Federal Trade Commission.
Two sources familiar with the matter told CNN that the commission has recently launched its investigation on the video-sharing platform for potential violations in user data safety and security.
The probe hingers on allegations that ByteDance, TikTok's parent company, that is deceiving its US users that China is not able to access their data.
The FTC's investigation follows after The Washington Post reported that TikTok is struggling to keep its US users' data away from its Beijing-based parent company.
It is worth noting that all US user data and algorithm are stored in network servers provided by the Texas-based Oracle Corp.
Both the FTC and the Department of Justice, which usually submits lawsuits against social media companies, declined to comment on the reports.
TikTok Braces for More Legal Battles Amid Ban Bill
If the FTC's case pushes through, TikTok is heading up to a rough year as the social media platform is set to face multiple legal battles from various US government agencies.
Separate from the FTC case, the US Senate is set to decide whether to approve or not the proposed ban on all ByteDance apps in the country over similar Chinese government involvement allegations.
On top of that, TikTok, along with other prominent social media platforms in the US, are currently under heavy attention from regulators over its policies in protecting its underage users from sexual harassment and explicit messages online.
TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew has already appeared in the Capitol Hill to clarify the platform's actions to improve its safety guidelines for children and minors, although the Senate is yet to decide whether these changes are enough.
Read also: TikTok Ban and the US Government: A Case of Restrictions, State Control, and Espionage Fears
2024 US Elections Inch Closer
If either the ban bill or the FTC case succeed against TikTok, it is expected that major changes in the platform will be felt by its users.
The platform is the most common social media app for many young voters to discuss political and social issues, at least more than other online platforms.
With the US government clamping down on site's actions, digital watchdogs fear that the political environment cultivated on the platform could soon face more restrictions ahead of the 2024 US Elections.
It can be remembered that several lawmakers have already raised the idea of foreign adversaries supposedly influencing US users on the app to push against the government as part of the reasons to ban the app.
