The United States Department of Justice today sued TikTok and its parent company ByteDance for violating the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). COPPA makes it illegal for websites to collect, use, and disclose data from children under the age of 13 without parental consent.
The lawsuit [PDF] alleges that from 2019 on, TikTok has knowingly allowed children to create TikTok accounts and to create, view, and share videos and messages with adults and others on the TikTok platform. TikTok is accused of collecting and retaining personal information from children without consent from their parents. Data was collected even from accounts created in Kids Mode.
Millions of children under 13 have used the regular TikTok app, which the DoJ says has subjected them to “extensive data collection” and allowed them to “interact with adult users and access adult content.” TikTok is also accused of making it difficult for parents to get their child’s account and data deleted.
The Department of Justice is seeking civil penalties for every COPPA violation and injunctive relief that would prevent TikTok from continuing to collect data from children.
TikTok is already embroiled in a lawsuit with the U.S. government over a bill that requires the social network to be sold off to a non-Chinese company or face a ban in the United States. TikTok parent company ByteDance has until January 19, 2025 to find a buyer for TikTok, but a sale is unlikely because the Chinese government would need to approve the divestiture, and it has said that it would “firmly oppose” any effort to sell TikTok.
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