US Government Sues TikTok Over Alleged Child Data Privacy Violations

The US Department of Justice has filed a lawsuit against TikTok, accusing the social media giant of unlawfully collecting children’s data and failing to respond to parental requests to delete their children’s accounts. The complaint alleges that TikTok’s practices constitute a “massive-scale” invasion of child privacy, violating laws requiring online companies to obtain parental consent for minors under 13.

TikTok disputed the claims, stating it is “proud” of its efforts to protect children, including proactive removal of underage users and voluntary implementation of protections like default screen-time limits and additional privacy guards for minors. A spokesperson said, “We disagree with these allegations, many of which relate to past events and practices that are factually inaccurate or have been addressed… We will continue to update and improve the platform.”

The lawsuit ramps up pressure on TikTok and its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, already battling a US law threatening to ban the company. The complaint alleges TikTok implemented “deficient” methods for screening underage accounts and obstructed parents’ attempts to delete them. A review of 1,700 parental requests found 30% of accounts remained active in November 2021.

The US government seeks to halt TikTok’s alleged privacy violations and determine penalties for each violation. Principal deputy assistant attorney general Brian Boynton stated, “This action is necessary to prevent the defendants, who are repeat offenders and operate on a massive scale, from collecting and using young children’s private information without any parental consent or control.”

With over 1 billion global users, including more than 170 million in the US, TikTok faces scrutiny over its handling of child data privacy. The lawsuit aims to put an end to TikTok’s alleged “unlawful massive-scale invasions of children’s privacy,” following fines in the UK and Europe for similar issues.