The social networking platform TikTok is the target of a new lawsuit brought by the US government on Friday, which claims the business collected children’s data illegally and ignored parent requests to remove their accounts.
According to the Department of Justice, the company violated rules requiring online businesses to seek parental consent before collecting personal information about children under the age of 13, and its actions amounted to a “massive-scale” invasion of child privacy.
Authorities stated that the business and its parent company ByteDance were “repeat offenders,” citing a 2019 lawsuit that raised similar issues.
TikTok refuted the allegations and declared itself “proud” of the measures it has taken to keep kids safe. It claimed to have deliberately removed minors and voluntarily implemented safeguards like automatic screen time restrictions and more privacy for minors.
“We disagree with these allegations, many of which relate to past events and practices that are factually inaccurate or have been addressed. We are proud of our efforts to protect children, and we will continue to update and improve the platform,” a spokesperson said.
The Chinese parent firm ByteDance and TikTok, which were already in legal battle with the US over a bill that threatened to ban them from the nation, are under increased pressure as a result of the lawsuit.
The US accused TikTok, in the filing, of putting in place “deficient” methods for checking children created accounts and impeding parents’ attempts to remove them.
According to the filing, out of 1,700 parent cancellation requests received between 2019 and 2020, 30% of the accounts were active as of November 2021.
It stated that while having restricted access to user videos, moderators tasked with monitoring accounts reported as underage were only authorized to take action in the event that they witnessed an explicit admission of a child’s age.
