In March 2019, TikTok was ordered by a US federal court to stop collecting personal information from young users without parental consent. However, a new lawsuit filed by US authorities claims that TikTok violated this order and could face fines of $51,744 per violation per day.
The US Department of Justice, on behalf of the Federal Trade Commission, alleges that TikTok allowed children under the age of 13 to create accounts and collected personal information from them without parental consent. TikTok spokesperson Michael Hughes has denied these allegations, stating that the company has made efforts to protect children and improve the platform.
Lawsuits over children’s privacy violations are not uncommon for social media platforms, with companies like Google and Microsoft having paid hefty fines in the past. However, the case against TikTok is part of a larger battle with the US government due to national security concerns surrounding its ownership by China-based ByteDance.
The lawsuit accuses TikTok of allowing users under 13 to sign up by editing their birthdates without parental permission. Additionally, TikTok allegedly did not remove accounts of children unless they explicitly stated their age, and millions of flagged accounts were not deleted due to a bug in TikTok’s tools.
Authorities also raised concerns about TikTok’s Kids Mode, alleging that the platform gathered and shared children’s information without parental consent. When parents tried to delete their children’s data, TikTok reportedly made the process difficult.
The government argues that TikTok should have been more careful with children’s data, especially considering a previous court order stemming from its predecessor, Musical.ly, violating rules to protect children’s privacy. This lawsuit highlights the need for stricter regulations, such as the proposed Kids Online Safety Act, which aims to better control children’s online usage.
While the fate of the Kids Online Safety Act remains uncertain, the case against TikTok emphasizes the importance of protecting children’s privacy online. Companies must be held accountable for their data collection practices, especially when it involves vulnerable young users.
