TikTok is accused of being unable to protect the privacy of children.
Washington:
The Federal Trade Commission and the United States Department of Justice are investigating allegations that the popular TikTok app has violated a 2019 deal to protect the privacy of children, according to two people interviewed by the agencies.
Staff member of a Massachusetts technology policy group and another source said they participated in separate teleconferences with FTC and Justice officials to discuss charges that the video sharing application Short based in China had not respected an agreement announced in February 2019.
The Center for Digital Democracy, Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood and others in May asked the FTC to examine their allegations that TikTok did not delete videos and personal information about users 13 and less as he had agreed to do, among other violations.
Reuters could not determine if any action would be taken against TikTok by either of the two agencies.
A TikTok spokesperson said they take “security seriously for all of our users,” adding that in the United States, they “welcome users under the age of 13 into a limited application experience that introduces additional security and privacy protections designed specifically for a younger audience. “
Officials from the FTC, who entered into the initial consent agreement with TikTok, and from the Department of Justice, which often files court documents for the FTC, videotaped group representatives to discuss the matter, said said David Monahan, campaign manager for the Campaign for an Ad Free Childhood.
“During the course of our conversation, I had the feeling that they were examining the statements that we had raised in our complaint,” said Monahan.
A second person, speaking in private, confirmed that the lawyers had met officials from the two agencies to discuss the concerns that TikTok had violated.
The FTC declined to comment. The Department of Justice made no immediate comments.
(With the exception of the title, this story was not edited by GalacticGaming staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
