US sues TikTok, parent company ByteDance over children privacy violations

Washinton, DC: A lawsuit was filed against Chinese short video app TikTok and its parent company ByteDance for failing to protect children’s privacy on the social media app. US Justice Department stated that TikTok violated Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, which are intended for young folks under 13, must obtain approval from their parents prior to collecting any personal information from these young users.

Notably, the Chinese app is quite popular in America and has around 170 million US users. It is currently fighting a new law that would force ByteDance to divest TikTok’s US assets by January 19 or ultimately it will face a stringent ban.

The recent US lawsuit against TikTok and its Chinese parent represents the latest measure in a series of actions stemming from apprehensions that the company is possibly infiltrating the privacy of Americans. Reportedly, a large volume of American data is being amassed and misused to serve the interests of the Chinese government, potentially leading to adverse impacts.