The Department of Justice (DOJ) sued TikTok, citing violations of children's online privacy law as the company allegedly collects data from its young users.
The complaint was filed together with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in a California federal court, adding another legal action against the social media giant.
TikTok Faces Scrutiny on Alleged Online Privacy Violation
The lawsuit argued that TikTok and its parent company ByteDance failed to implement age restrictions on its app. DOJ cited that federal law states that parental consent is a must before collecting personal information from users under the age of 13.
Moreover, TikTok is accused of not honoring requests from parents who sought the removal of their children's account on the platform. The company allegedly chose not to delete the accounts despite being aware they were created by children under 13.
"This action is necessary to prevent the defendants, who are repeat offenders and operate on a massive scale, from collecting and using young children's private information without any parental consent or control," said Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Department's Civil Division.
TikTok Retaliates on DOJ Accusations, Claims Inaccuracy
TikTok expressed its disagreement with the accusations, citing that the issues were based on past events that have been addressed or are "factually inaccurate." The company also emphasized that the platform offers age-appropriate experiences.
The social media giant stated some of its age-protection features such as default screentime limits, Family Pairing, and other privacy protections for minor users.
DOJ pushed the lawsuit following a probe by FTC that looked into the platform's predecessor, Musical.ly. In 2019, the federal government sued the platform for the violation of the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA).
The platform resolved the issue with a $5.7 million settlement before merging with TikTok.
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