The social media platform TikTok is facing a lawsuit over its ‘excessive’ and ‘sinister’ collection of children’s data which could be worth billions. The Chinese-owned social network was ordered to pay a $5.7 million fine in 2019 for hosting underage content. The fine by the Federal Trade Commission was aimed predominantly at Musical.ly and subsequently incorporated into TikTok.
The video sharing app is no stranger to criticism and accusations of using data unlawfully, with a potential class-action lawsuit worth billions in damages. The suit alleges that children who used the app since May 25, 2018 may have had their personal information collected by TikTok’s parent firm, ByteDance, and used for the benefit of third parties. England’s former children’s commissioner Anne Longfield described it as ‘data collection service thinly veiled as a social network.’
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