TikTok is potentially facing a new lawsuit from the US Department of Justice after the Federal Trade Commission accused the platform of violating children's privacy.
In a press release statement on Tuesday, the FTC announced that it referred a complaint on TikTok and its parent company ByteDance to the DOJ for failing to comply with its settlement agreement.
(Photo : Antonin Utz/AFP via Getty Images)
The complaint follows earlier FTC investigations around TikTok's 2019 settlement for violating the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act, specifically illegally collecting children's personal details without parental consent.
TikTok, formerly Musical.y, had to pay $5.7 million and agreed to improve its data collection systems to resolve allegations. The complaint filing might indicate that the commission found new violations related to the earlier lawsuit.
In response, TikTok claimed that it has been closely working with the FTC over the years and is "deeply committed to the work we've done to protect children."
The Justice Department is expected to provide a decision on whether to pursue a civil lawsuit against TikTok within 45 days.
Also Read: TikTok Faces Potential Lawsuit from FTC Over Privacy and Safety Violations
US Gov't Enforces Online Child Safety Provisions on Social Platforms
The FTC crackdown on TikTok's child safety activities came as state governments and other regulators tightened their laws around social platforms.
Earlier in February, several social media CEOs, including TikTok, appeared before the Senate to discuss growing concerns about children being exposed to sexual harassment, bullying, and explicit content on their platform.
State governments, including New York and Florida, have also passed their own laws to enforce stricter policies on children's access to social media.
All of these are in addition to the proposed Kids Online Safety Act that would effectively hold social media platforms legally responsible for the content children see on their apps and sites.
Related Article: Child Online Protection Bill Gains New Support Ahead of Senate Decision
TikTok Faces More Legal Problems in the US
The potential FTC/DOJ lawsuit is only the latest set of legal headaches TikTok is currently facing in the US as regulators and the federal government continue to crack down on the company.
The White House has recently passed a law that would require the Beijing-based ByteDance to sell TikTok to a US-based company or face a nationwide ban.
TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew vowed to take the legislation to the legal court before the allotted time to divest expires in January.
This is in addition to several lawsuits and legislations the platform is currently facing from several states accusing the app of harming children's mental health.
TikTok is set to appeal the lawsuits and state laws in the coming months.
