The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and Justice Department are investigating TikTok on allegations that it failed to meet its obligation to protect children’s privacy under a 2019 agreement.
Reuters report that the short video company took part in separate conference calls with FTC and Justice Department officials to discuss accusations. The policy which TikTok is reported to have breached was announced in February 2019.
The Center for Digital Democracy, Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood, and others in May 2020 reportedly asked the FTC to look into the allegations. The allegation against TikTok over its refusal to delete videos and personal information about users aged 13 and younger according to previous agreement, among other violations.
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A TikTok spokesman told Reuter that it takes “safety seriously for all [its] users”. He also said that the app “accommodates users under 13 in a limited app experience that introduces additional safety and privacy protections designed specifically for a younger audience [in the US]”.
In 2019, TikTok agreed to a $5.7 million settlement with FTC. The charges were that it was in violation of the Children Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) by failing to obtain parental consent before collecting personal info on kids under the age of 13.
TikTok had not deleted the personal information after parents had complained about their children, according to the FTC.
This comes at a bad time because the US is considering banning the Chinese app, adding to its woes. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo suggested the app could face a ban anytime soon. “We’re certainly looking at it. We’ve worked on this very issue for a long time,” Pompeo said.
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