TikTok To Face Lawsuit From US Dept. of Justice Over Violation Of Children's Privacy: Report

TikTok and ByteDance have urged a US court to invalidate a law that would prohibit the popular short video app in the United States from January 19 next year.

This move follows a recent report by Reuters stating that the FTC had forwarded a complaint to the DOJ, implicating TikTok and its parent company, ByteDance. ( Image Source :Alexander Shatov/Unsplash )

US Department of Justice (DOJ) is reportedly set to file a lawsuit against ByteDance's TikTok, targeting the company's alleged violations of children's privacy. As reported by Bloomberg News, the legal action, to be initiated on behalf of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), will focus on these specific allegations rather than previously suggested concerns about data security misrepresentations. The forthcoming lawsuit will not address claims that TikTok misled American users regarding data security by failing to disclose that employees in China could access their personal and financial information.

Sources familiar with the matter indicated that this part of the complaint would be dropped.

This move follows a recent report by Reuters stating that the FTC had forwarded a complaint to the DOJ, implicating TikTok and its parent company, ByteDance, in potential breaches of children's privacy regulations.

In a related development, TikTok and ByteDance have urged a US court to invalidate a law that would prohibit the popular short video app in the United States from January 19 next year.

US Looking To Ban Kaspersky

Meanwhile, the Joe Biden administration on Thursday announced plans to prohibit the sale of antivirus software produced by Russia's Kaspersky Lab within the United States.

US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo emphasised concerns over Russia's potential influence on the company, citing substantial security risks posed by its software, reported Reuters. During a briefing with reporters, Raimondo highlighted the privileged access Kaspersky's software has to computer systems, raising fears that it could compromise sensitive American data or facilitate malware deployment by withholding crucial updates.

"Russia has shown it has the capacity and ... the intent to exploit Russian companies like Kaspersky to collect and weaponise the personal information of Americans and that is why we are compelled to take the action that we are taking today," Raimondo stated.