FTC announces it has referred complaint against TikTok to the Department of Justice for violating children's privacy

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has announced that it has referred a complaint to the Department of Justice against the video-sharing services TikTok and Musical.ly, as well as their parent company, ByteDance, for possible violations of children's privacy.

Statement of the Commission Regarding TikTok Complaint Referral to DOJ | Federal Trade Commission
https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2024/06/statement-commission-regarding-tiktok-complaint-referral-doj

Statement of the Federal Trade Commission In the Matter of Bytedance/Musical.ly | Federal Trade Commission
https://www.ftc.gov/legal-library/browse/cases-proceedings/public-statements/statement-federal-trade-commission-matter-bytedancemusically

FTC refers TikTok child privacy case to Justice Department | TechCrunch
https://techcrunch.com/2024/06/18/ftc-refers-tiktok-child-privacy-case-to-justice-department/?guccounter=1

This is not the first time TikTok has been criticized for not protecting children's privacy: in 2019, the company was fined $5.7 million for not providing sufficient protection for children under the age of 13.

Popular video sharing app TikTok to be fined over 600 million yen for 'collecting children's information' - GIGAZINE

In addition, in 2020, 20 organizations, including child advocacy groups, filed a joint complaint with the FTC alleging that TikTok continues to violate the Children's Privacy Act.

20 groups file lawsuit saying TikTok continues to violate children's privacy laws - GIGAZINE

'As a result of our investigation, we have found probable cause to believe that the Defendants have violated or are attempting to violate the Children's Online Privacy Act (COPPA). We have determined that a prosecution is in the public interest and have decided to refer the case to the Department of Justice,' the FTC said in a statement.

In response to the FTC's statement, TikTok posted a comment on Twitter saying, 'We are disappointed that the FTC is moving forward with litigation instead of continuing to work with us to find a reasonable resolution.'

Our statement on today's FTC announcement:

We've been working with the FTC for more than a year to address its concerns. We're disappointed the agency is pursuing litigation instead of continuing to work with us on a reasonable solution. We strongly disagree with the FTC's…

— TikTok Policy (@TikTokPolicy) June 18, 2024