The US Department of Justice is shifting its focus for an upcoming lawsuit against TikTok from allegations that the platform misled adult users about its data privacy practices to violations of children’s privacy rights, according to a source familiar with the matter. The investigation, initiated by the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC), revealed potential violations by TikTok and its parent company ByteDance and was forwarded to the Department of Justice for further action on Tuesday.
In response to the investigation, the FTC stated that there is reason to believe that the named defendants are violating or are about to violate the law and that the proceeding is in the public interest. This investigation stemmed from allegations that TikTok failed to uphold a 2019 agreement aimed at protecting children’s privacy, as originally reported by Reuters in 2020.
TikTok has expressed strong disagreement with the allegations made by the FTC, stating that they are disappointed with the decision to file a lawsuit. The investigation is separate from concerns in Congress about potential data security risks due to the Chinese government’s access to TikTok’s US user data, which the platform denies.
In addition to facing legal challenges over children’s privacy rights, TikTok is also challenging a law passed in April requiring ByteDance to divest its US assets by January 19 or face a ban. ByteDance has stated that without court intervention, a ban would have been inevitable and that it was not technically, commercially, or legally possible to comply with the law.
