FTC gives green light for lawsuit against TikTok for COPPA violations
According to a recent article by Security Magazine, the Department of Justice has filed a lawsuit against video-sharing platform TikTok, its parent company ByteDance, and affiliated companies for violating the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). These allegations also include infringements of an existing FTC 2019 consent order against TikTok for COPPA violations.
The complaint asserts that the defendants failed to adhere to COPPA regulations requiring notification and parental consent before collecting personal information from children under 13 years old.
ByteDance and its associated companies were allegedly aware of their obligation to comply with COPPA and the 2019 consent order, yet knowingly allowed millions of children under 13 to access the platform designed for users aged 13 and older, in violation of COPPA.
The complaint details instances where TikTok continued to collect personal data from underage users, enabling targeted advertising without parental consent. Concerns were also raised about TikTok’s disregard for age verification measures, such as allowing children to create accounts without age verification using credentials from third-party services.
The complaint further accuses TikTok of misleading parents by collecting excessive data on children in violation of COPPA guidelines. Additionally, efforts to delete children’s accounts were hindered by the platform’s cumbersome processes.
The lawsuit demands civil penalties and a permanent injunction against ByteDance and TikTok to prevent future COPPA violations, with potential penalties reaching up to $51,744 per violation, per day.
