Image by Solen Feyissa, from Flickr
U.S. Justice Department And FTC Sue TikTok For Violating Children’s Privacy Law
- Written by Kiara Fabbri Former Tech News Writer
- Fact-Checked by Justyn Newman Former Lead Cybersecurity Editor
Yesterday, the Justice Department and Federal Trade Commission (FTC) filed a lawsuit against TikTok and its parent company ByteDance, accusing them of violating the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA).
According to the complaint , TikTok continued to collect personal data from underage users. The company targeted ads to these users without notifying or obtaining consent from their parents, as required by COPPA. Despite policy changes, TikTok is accused of still maintaining and using children’s personal information unlawfully.
The complaint also alleges that TikTok allowed children to bypass age restrictions. Children could create accounts without providing their age or obtaining parental consent. These accounts were classified as “age unknown.” Even when children used the “TikTok Kids Mode” service, TikTok is accused of collecting and using their personal information in violation of COPPA.
The company is accused of collecting more data than necessary. This includes information about children’s activities on the app and various types of persistent identifiers. TikTok allegedly used this data to build profiles on children. The data was reportedly shared with third parties without notifying parents. Additionally, TikTok is accused of frequently failing to delete children’s accounts and personal information when parents requested it.
The complaint requests that the court impose civil penalties against ByteDance and TikTok and issue a permanent injunction to prevent future COPPA violations. Under the FTC Act, civil penalties can reach up to $51,744 per violation, per day.
Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division, stated on the department’s press release, “This action is necessary to prevent the defendants, who are repeat offenders and operate on a massive scale, from collecting and using young children’s private information without any parental consent or control.”
As reported by CNN , TikTok spokesperson Michael Hughes disputed these claims, stating, “We disagree with these allegations, many of which relate to past events and practices that are factually inaccurate or have been addressed, […] We are proud of our efforts to protect children, and we will continue to update and improve the platform. To that end, we offer age-appropriate experiences with stringent safeguards, proactively remove suspected underage users, and have voluntarily launched features such as default screen time limits, Family Pairing, and additional privacy protections for minors.”
Moreover, Reuters reported a TikTok spokesperson saying, “These filings ignore the fact that Congress passed the TikTok ban with no record supporting the government’s claims. Moreover, these filings do nothing to change the fact that the Constitution is on our side as the TikTok ban would violate the First Amendment rights of 170 million Americans who use TikTok.”
Despite TikTok’s defense, which claims improvements and safeguards to protect children, there are ongoing concerns about the platform’s compliance with COPPA. The case highlights these issues. The court’s decision could result in substantial penalties. It may also enforce stricter regulations to protect children’s privacy online.
Image by Text100, from Flickr
Reddit Updates Ad Policy To Allow Users To Opt Out Of Political Ads
- Written by Kiara Fabbri Former Tech News Writer
- Fact-Checked by Justyn Newman Former Lead Cybersecurity Editor
On August 1st, Reddit announced an update to its advertising policy. This change allows users to opt out of seeing political ads as the US presidential race heats up. The update is part of Reddit’s broader effort to maintain the integrity of its platform and support its moderators and communities.
Reddit has introduced a new category in its “ Sensitive Advertising Categories .” This category now includes political and activism-related ads. Users have the option to choose not to view these types of ads.
In the announcement, Reddit stated that their primary concerns include inauthentic content, such as disinformation and bots, as well as moderating hateful content. To achieve this, Reddit claims to use AI and ML tools to flag potentially harmful, spammy, or inauthentic content, often allowing for its removal before it reaches users.
Additionally, Reddit states that it is developing new tools to detect AI-generated media, including political content like images of politicians and candidates. By improving their ability to identify such content, Reddit hopes to better assess and address potential threats on the platform.
However, Reddit recognizes that the unpredictable US election cycle may drive harmful content. To address this, the platform is training its safety teams on various scenarios, including content manipulation and hateful content, with a focus on political violence, race, and gender-based hate.
Furthermore, Reddit provides moderators with support and tools to maintain safe and on-topic communities. This includes sharing essential resources and proactively reaching out to communities that are likely to experience increased traffic. Moderators can also utilize Reddit’s suite of tools to filter out abusive and spammy content, such as the Harassment Filter , released this year.
Reddit is also testing new ways for moderators to escalate election-related concerns, such as a dedicated tip line (currently in beta testing) and a new report flow for spammy, bot-related links.
Lastly, Reddit also received feedback from moderators requesting a post-election report detailing platform performance and key takeaways. Reddit plans to release such a report following the US election, similar to the one issued after the 2020 election . This report is expected in Q1 2025.
