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The U.S. Department of Justice has sued TikTok and its parent company, ByteDance, for extensive violations of children’s privacy laws.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Justice Department and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) filed a civil lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California against TikTok Inc., its parent company ByteDance Ltd., and their affiliates (together, TikTok) for extensive violations of the Children\u2019s Online Privacy Protection Act and its implementing regulations (COPPA) in connection with the popular TikTok app.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to COPPA, website operators are forbidden from collecting, using, or disclosing personal information from children under 13 without parental consent and mandates deletion of such data upon parental request. In 2019, the government sued TikTok\u2019s predecessor, Musical.ly, for COPPA violations. Since then, TikTok and ByteDance have been under a court order to implement measures to comply with COPPA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“According to the complaint, from 2019 to the present, TikTok knowingly permitted children to create regular TikTok accounts and to create, view, and share short-form videos and messages with adults and others on the regular TikTok platform. The defendants collected and retained a wide variety of personal information from these children without notifying or obtaining consent from their parents.” reads the press release <\/a>published by DoJ. “Even for accounts that were created in \u201cKids Mode\u201d (a pared-back version of TikTok intended for children under 13), the defendants unlawfully collected and retained children\u2019s email addresses and other types of personal information.”<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

DoJ also added that when parents requested the deletion of their children\u2019s accounts and information, TikTok and ByteDance often failed to comply. The companies also had inadequate internal policies and processes for identifying and removing accounts created by children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The social network giant exposed millions of children under 13 to extensive data collection, interactions with adult users, and adult content by violating COPPA. The complaint seeks civil penalties and injunctive relief.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Department is deeply concerned that TikTok has continued to collect and retain children\u2019s personal information despite a court order barring such conduct,\u201d said Acting Associate Attorney General Benjamin C. Mizer. \u201cWith this action, the Department seeks to ensure that TikTok honors its obligation to protect children\u2019s privacy rights and parents\u2019 efforts to protect their children.\u201d<\/em><\/gwmw><\/p>\n\n\n\n

TikTok disagrees with these allegations, it said that many of them relate to past events and practices that have been already addressed. It is also proud of its efforts to protect children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Our statement on today's lawsuit by the Department of Justice:

"We disagree with these allegations, many of which relate to past events and practices that are factually inaccurate or have been addressed.

We are proud of our efforts to protect children, and we will continue to\u2026<\/p>— TikTok Policy (@TikTokPolicy) August 2, 2024<\/a><\/blockquote>