U.S. Justice Department sues TikTok over collection of children's data

The Justice Department, along with the Federal Trade Commission, sued TikTok and its parent company ByteDance on Friday, arguing that the company violated a children’s online privacy law.

The complaint was filed in a California federal court.

"The Department is deeply concerned that TikTok has continued to collect and retain children’s personal information despite a court order barring such conduct,” said Acting Associate Attorney General Benjamin C. Mizer. "With this action, the Department seeks to ensure that TikTok honors its obligation to protect children’s privacy rights and parents’ efforts to protect their children."

Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division, said the lawsuit 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."