TikTok Faces FTC Investigation for Alleged Violation of Children’s Privacy
TikTok, the popular video-sharing app, is once again in hot water with the U.S. government. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has accused TikTok and its parent company, ByteDance, of violating children’s privacy laws. The FTC has referred a complaint against the app to the Department of Justice (DOJ), alleging that TikTok and ByteDance have failed to comply with a settlement order made to Musical.ly, a video-sharing app that was later acquired by ByteDance and merged with TikTok.
The FTC’s $5.7 million settlement with Musical.ly stemmed from allegations that the app had collected personal information from children under 13 without parental consent, which is a violation of the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). The FTC found that Musical.ly users were able to create accounts and provide personal information such as their name, email address, and phone number without verifying their age. Additionally, all account profiles were made public by default, and users could send direct messages to any other users.
As part of the settlement, Musical.ly, now known as TikTok, was required to remove all videos made by children under 13 and comply with COPPA going forward. TikTok implemented several measures to protect children’s privacy, including a limited app experience for users under 13 and making the accounts of users aged 15 and under private by default. However, the FTC believes that TikTok’s efforts are inadequate and that the app is still violating the law, although it has not provided specific details about the alleged violations.
TikTok has been collaborating with the FTC for over a year to address its concerns and is disappointed that the agency has chosen litigation instead of continuing the collaboration. The company strongly disagrees with the allegations, stating that many of them are factually inaccurate or have already been addressed. TikTok claims to have implemented numerous safety features, such as default screen time limits, family pairing, and privacy settings for minors under 16.
This is not the first time U.S. officials have expressed concerns about TikTok’s impact on children. Last year, Utah filed a lawsuit alleging that TikTok’s algorithms and design features were harmful to children. Earlier this year, Utah filed a second lawsuit, accusing TikTok of enabling children to perform illicit acts in livestreams for monetary compensation. However, TikTok requires users to be over 18 to livestream or receive gifts on its platform.
The FTC’s referral comes in the midst of the U.S. government’s efforts to label TikTok as a security concern and Chinese spyware. The government has accused the Chinese government of spying on users and manipulating TikTok’s algorithm to promote content sympathetic to China, despite a lack of evidence. Some senators have even blamed TikTok for young people’s support for Palestine, alleging that China promoted the cause to incite division in the U.S.
In response to these concerns, the U.S. Senate passed a ban on TikTok in April, which was swiftly signed into law by President Joe Biden. ByteDance now has less than a year to either sell TikTok to an approved entity or exit the country entirely. TikTok has sued the U.S. government over the ban, arguing that it violates the First Amendment right to free speech. However, the outcome of the legal battle remains uncertain.
TikTok has 170 million users in the U.S., including both President Biden and former President Donald Trump. The app also supports a significant number of jobs and contributes billions of dollars to the U.S. GDP. Despite the confidence of many TikTok creators that a ban will not happen, the future of the app in the U.S. remains uncertain unless TikTok can successfully fight off the government’s actions in court.
