TikTok Sued by U.S. for Violating Children's Privacy Laws

The U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) have teamed up to sue TikTok, accusing the popular video-sharing app of violating children's privacy laws in a big way. According to them, TikTok let kids create accounts, watch, and share videos without their parents' knowledge or permission, which goes against the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA).

This lawsuit claims that TikTok was not only breaking privacy laws but also ignoring a 2019 agreement with the government. This agreement required TikTok to get parents' approval before collecting data from kids and to remove videos made by users under 13. Instead, TikTok allegedly collected a range of personal information from children without parental consent.

Even in 'Kids Mode,' a version of TikTok meant for kids under 13, the company reportedly collected email addresses and other personal info. When parents asked TikTok to delete their kids' accounts and data, the company often didn't comply.

The complaint also states that TikTok exposed millions of kids to extensive data collection, enabling targeted ads and interactions with adults. It says TikTok didn't do enough to verify users' ages, allowing children to sign up using third-party services like Google and Instagram, which resulted in many "age unknown" accounts.

The FTC highlighted that TikTok's human reviewers spent just five to seven seconds on average reviewing each account to determine if it belonged to a child. The agency vowed to protect children's privacy from companies that misuse digital tools for profit.

With over 170 million active users in the U.S., TikTok is pushing back against these allegations. This lawsuit adds to the company's challenges, as it's also facing a potential ban in early 2025 due to national security concerns. TikTok has filed a petition to overturn this ban.

In response to the lawsuit, TikTok said, "We disagree with these allegations, many of which relate to past events and practices that are factually inaccurate or have been addressed. We offer age-appropriate experiences with stringent safeguards, proactively remove suspected underage users, and have voluntarily launched features such as default screen time limits, Family Pairing, and additional privacy protections for minors."

TikTok's troubles aren't limited to the U.S. The European Union fined the company €345 million in September 2023 for mishandling children's data. In April 2023, the U.K.'s Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) fined TikTok £12.7 million for illegally processing the data of 1.4 million children under 13 without parental consent.

This lawsuit coincides with the ICO's announcement that it has asked 11 media and video-sharing platforms to improve their children's privacy practices or face action. The ICO did not name these platforms but stated, "Eleven out of the 34 platforms are being asked about issues relating to default privacy settings, geolocation, or age assurance, and to explain how their approach conforms with the [Children's Code]. We are also speaking to some platforms about targeted advertising to ensure their practices align with the law and the code."