Just months after TikTok was banned in the United States, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) appears to be rubbing salt into TikTok’s wounds. The agency issued a bizarre message saying it was referring complaints about social media apps to the Department of Justice (DOJ).
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission issued statement said on Tuesday that its investigation “found reason to believe” that TikTok and its parent company ByteDance were “violating or about to violate the law.” The committee said these actions violated (or may have violated) the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (“COPPA”) and the Federal Trade Commission Act, but did not provide specific details. Additionally, the statement noted that the FTC normally does not publicize this action, but it believed it was in the public interest to issue the statement. So we’re letting you know what they think you should know.
A Justice Department spokesperson said they could not comment on the substance of the handover, but the department did consult with the FTC in advance and was considering the claim.
In the statement, the FTC mentioned how its investigation began in 2019 into Musical.ly, the predecessor of TikTok. At the time, the commission did find that the company was “aware that a significant proportion of its users were under the age of 13 and had received thousands of complaints from parents,” and fined $5.7 million. It’s unclear whether the complaints against TikTok are related or if the investigation uncovered other violations.
TikTok said it has been working with the FTC for more than a year to address its possible concerns.
“We are disappointed that the agency filed a lawsuit instead of continuing to work with us to find a reasonable resolution,” a TikTok spokesperson said in an emailed statement on Tuesday. “We strongly disagree with the FTC’s allegations, many of which are inconsistent with past We are proud of the work we do to protect children and will continue to update and improve our products.
While TikTok is still incredibly popular, it’s not in the best position yet. In April, President Joe Biden signed a bill requiring Divest TikTok or face US ban. The social app will have 270 days to iron out some of its kinks, or it can wait for the upcoming presidential election and hope Trump wins because he suddenly wakes up Support Douyin. Maybe he found a dance on the app that he liked watching.
