TikTok could face lawsuit by DOJ over potential child privacy violations
NY Post
The Federal Trade Commission said on Tuesday it had referred a complaint against the social media platform TikTok and its parent company ByteDance over potential violations children’s privacy to the Justice Department.
In March, a source told Reuters the FTC could resolve a probe into TikTok over allegedly faulty privacy and data security practices by either filing suit or reaching a settlement.
“The investigation uncovered reason to believe named defendants are violating or are about to violate the law and that a proceeding is in the public interest, so the Commission has voted to refer a complaint to the Department of Justice,” the FTC said in a statement.
Reuters in 2020 first reported the FTC and the Justice Department were looking into allegations the popular social media app failed to live up to a 2019 agreement aimed at protecting children’s privacy.
“Although the Commission does not typically make public the fact that it has referred a complaint, we have determined that doing so here is in the public interest,” the statement continued, without giving details.
TikTok said Tuesday it has been working with the FTC for more than a year to address the agency’s concerns.
