DOJ Prepares To File Lawsuit Against TikTok, Citing 'Children’s Privacy Violations'

On behalf of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the U.S. Department of Justice is getting ready to bring a consumer protection lawsuit against ByteDance’s TikTok app later this year, Bloomberg News reported on Thursday.

The report cited individuals familiar with the matter who said that the justice department will charge TikTok with violating children’s privacy rather than pursuing claims that the company misled American users about the security of their data, which was another issue being discussed previously.

According to the source, the department intends to withdraw a portion of the complaint, which argues that TikTok misled American customers by neglecting to disclose that workers of its parent company with offices in China would have access to their financial and personal data.

Remark requests from Reuters were not immediately answered by the DOJ, FTC, or TikTok.

However, Reuters did reveal earlier this week that the FTC has forwarded a complaint against TikTok and its parent company to the DOJ due to possible privacy violations involving minors.

Back “in 2019, TikTok agreed to pay $5.7 million to settle FTC allegations that it illegally collected personal info from children, which the agency said at the time was the largest civil penalty ever obtained in a children’s privacy case. The case alleged Musical.ly (TikTok’s predecessor) violated the U.S. Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), which requires websites and online services aimed at kids to obtain parental consent before collecting personal information from children under 13,” Variety reported.

Separately, on Thursday, TikTok and ByteDance asked a U.S. court to overturn a law that they claim will outlaw the well-known short video app in the U.S. starting on January 19^th, 2025.

Stay informed! Receive breaking news blasts directly to your inbox for free. Subscribe here. https://www.oann.com/alerts