Is TikTok Safe for Kids? US Government Sues TikTok – Deseret News

TikTok is facing accusations of collecting private information from children and allowing children under the age of 13 to sign up for the service, according to a new lawsuit filed by the U.S. Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission.

The civil lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California against TikTok Inc. and its owner, ByteDance, for allegedly violating the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act.

The law states that companies cannot collect, use or disclose information from children under 13 unless parents consent. Parents can also ask to delete private information about their children.

The Justice Department alleges that TikTok failed to delete the accounts of young children when they were asked to do so and failed to adequately protect their private information.

“The Department is deeply concerned that TikTok continues to collect and maintain personal information about children despite a court order prohibiting such conduct,” said Benjamin C. Mizer, Acting Assistant Attorney General. “With this action, the Department seeks to ensure that TikTok is living up to its responsibility to protect children’s privacy rights and parents’ efforts to protect their children.”

TikTok ban halted by court

The government has previously accused the popular app of posing a national security threat. In April, Congress passed a law that required TikTok’s owner, Chinese tech company ByteDance, to sell TikTok by January or face being banned from U.S. app stores and hosting services.

“In addition to the direct privacy implications, there are concerns that TikTok could be used as a tool for disinformation campaigns and data collection by foreign actors, particularly the Chinese government,” Lisa Plaggemier, executive director of the National Cybersecurity Alliance, said in a statement when the bill was passed.

TikTok and ByteDance sued the government to try to stop the forced sale on First Amendment grounds. “Congress has enacted laws that restrict vast amounts of protected speech,” the lawsuit alleged.