The U.S. Department of Justice is intensifying its conflict with TikTok and its parent company, ByteDance, by filing a lawsuit against the company. The government accuses TikTok of illegally collecting data from users under the age of 13 without obtaining parental consent.
The lawsuit alleges that TikTok knowingly allowed children under 13 to create accounts on the app and, in many cases, failed to delete these accounts even when parents requested it. The DoJ’s claims center around two primary violations: first, that TikTok breached the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), which imposes strict regulations on tracking children’s online activities. Secondly, the Justice Department asserts that TikTok violated a 2019 agreement with the U.S. government, which required the company to notify parents before collecting data from children and to delete videos from users under 13.
This legal action represents the latest chapter in the ongoing tension between TikTok and the U.S. government. For years, Congress has viewed TikTok as a significant security risk for Americans due to its ownership by ByteDance, a Chinese company. The concern is that ByteDance could be compelled to share data with the Chinese government, potentially compromising American user information and influencing the content that U.S. users see.
Earlier this year, Congress passed a bill that could ban TikTok in the U.S. unless ByteDance divests from the app. President Biden signed the bill into law, forcing ByteDance to either sell the app or risk losing access to its vast American user base. TikTok responded by suing the U.S. government, arguing that the bill violates constitutional rights.
Now, with two lawsuits in play and the threat of a ban looming, the future of TikTok in the U.S. remains uncertain, casting a shadow over the app that has become a favorite for millions of users.
