TikTok collected sensitive user data on issues like abortion – DOJ

The ongoing battle between the US government and TikTok owner Bytedance continues, with the Department of Justice (DOJ) finding that TikTok collected sensitive user data on a variety of controversial topics…

Possible TikTok Bans in US and Europe

TikTok faces bans in both Europe and the US.

In Europe, Bytedance lost a case that it did not have enough EU users to be subject to antitrust law and said it would comply, but could still be found guilty of breaking child protection laws. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called the app “dangerous.”

In the US, the House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly to ban TikTok in the US or force it to sell the app to an American company. TikTok sued the US government, arguing that the threatened ban would be unconstitutional, violating the First Amendment right to free speech. The case has been expedited and will be heard in September.

Justice Department says TikTok collected sensitive user data

The latest developments in the US case came on Friday, when the Justice Department filed a motion to dismiss Bytedance’s lawsuit and declare the ban threat unconstitutional.

Engadget reports that the company is now accused of collecting data on user opinions on a number of sensitive issues.

In one document filed with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, the Justice Department says that a search tool on Lark, an online system that company employees use to communicate, “enabled ByteDance and TikTok employees in the United States and China to collect bulk information about users based on user content or statements, including views on gun control, abortion, and religion.” The Justice Department also argues in the documents that TikTok could be used to subject U.S. users to content manipulation, and that their sensitive information could be saved on servers in China.

TikTok has not denied the reports, saying only that the government has not proven them.

The government has never produced evidence to support its claims, including when Congress passed this unconstitutional law. Today, once again, the government is taking this unprecedented step, hiding behind classified information. We remain confident that we will prevail in court.

Photo: Solen Feyissa on Unsplash