TikTok is currently facing legal action from the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the US Department of Justice, alleging violations of the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) by the popular social media platform and its parent company ByteDance.
As reported by TechCrunch, TikTok is accused of knowingly allowing millions of children under the age of 13 to use its platform, despite a previous agreement with the FTC to prevent underage registration. The lawsuit claims that TikTok collected and utilized data from underage users for targeted advertising, even after internal concerns were raised and policy changes were implemented.
The FTC has criticized TikTok’s Kids Mode for gathering excessive and unnecessary user data, including in-app activities and identifiers used to create user profiles. In response to the allegations, TikTok has expressed disagreement and emphasized its commitment to protecting children. However, the FTC and the Department of Justice have proposed significant fines and a permanent ban to prevent future COPPA violations.
This legal action not only underscores the significance of safeguarding children’s privacy online but also presents a crucial test for how technology companies handle the data of young users.