US Lawsuit Against TikTok to Focus on Children’s Privacy

The U.S. Department of Justice is gearing up to file a lawsuit against TikTok, focusing on allegations that the social media giant has violated the privacy rights of children. This shift in focus highlights concerns over children’s data protection rather than claims that TikTok misled adult users about its data privacy practices, according to an insider familiar with the matter.

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has been investigating these potential violations by TikTok and its parent company, ByteDance. On Tuesday, the FTC referred the case to the Justice Department, escalating the issue.

In a statement, the FTC noted, “The investigation uncovered reason to believe named defendants are violating or are about to violate the law and that a proceeding is in the public interest.”

This isn’t the first time TikTok has come under scrutiny. In 2020, Reuters reported that both the FTC and the Justice Department were examining whether TikTok had failed to comply with a 2019 agreement aimed at safeguarding children’s privacy.

TikTok has expressed strong disagreement with the FTC’s allegations and disappointment over the agency’s decision to move forward with a lawsuit. The company maintains that it has been committed to protecting user privacy.

In another legal battle, TikTok is challenging a law passed in April that requires ByteDance to divest TikTok’s U.S. assets by January 19 or face a ban. ByteDance has argued that such a ban would be inevitable without court intervention and that divestiture is “not possible technologically, commercially, or legally.”