Children could breeze through the company’s “age gates” by creating accounts through Google and Instagram, and the company sometimes “failed to comply” with parents’ requests to delete their children’s accounts, the Justice Department said. TikTok disputed the Justice Department’s claims Friday and said it had proactively removed suspected underage users and invested in parental controls and other privacy protections for young users. TikTok agreed then to delete children’s data and enact company changes under a court order, which the Justice Department claims TikTok began violating shortly after it took effect. “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.”The Federal Trade Commission voted last month to refer the case to the Justice Department. The Justice Department’s complaint cites unnamed former TikTok employees as well as internal communications to make the case that the company invested too little in child safety.

Source: Washington Post August 03, 2024 21:45 UTC