TikTok Accused of Violating Child Privacy—Again

TikTok is in hot water yet again, with consumer groups accusing the social media company of violating child privacy....
TikTok Accused of Violating Child Privacy—Again
Written by Matt Milano
  • TikTok is in hot water yet again, with consumer groups accusing the social media company of violating child privacy.

    The Center for Digital Democracy and the Campaign for a Commercial Free Childhood are leading a coalition of some 20 children’s and consumer groups that have filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), accusing TikTok of violating a previous agreement with the FTC.

    In 2019 TikTok was fined $5.7 million for violating child privacy. As The New York Times reports, TikTok agreed to a number of changes designed to better protect the privacy of children.

    According to the NYT, “as part of the settlement, the video-sharing app agreed to obtain a parent’s permission before collecting their child’s personal information. It also agreed to delete personal information, including videos, of any children identified as younger than 13 and to remove videos and other personal details of users whose ages were unknown.”

    In spite of the agreement, it appears that TikTok has not followed through on its promise. This is just the latest issue the social media app has dealt with, as it has faced ongoing scrutiny over security and privacy concerns, with the Pentagon and some government agencies banning the app from employees’ devices.

    If the FTC finds that TikTok has reneged on its agreement, the company’s problems will only go from bad to worse.

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