TikTok agrees to pay $400M to resolve DOJ lawsuit over children’s data privacy
TikTok has agreed to pay $400 million to settle a Department of Justice lawsuit centered on children's data privacy. The settlement resolves federal allegations against the platform over how it handled personal information belonging to younger users.
Why this matters: Four hundred million dollars sounds large. For a platform with over a billion users, it is a rounding error. The real issue is what TikTok was actually doing with children's data and whether a fine changes any of it. Parents reasonably assume a popular app is not quietly collecting and mishandling their kids' personal information. When it turns out it was, a check to the government does not undo the exposure. The question is what behavioral changes, if any, come attached to the settlement.
Who should care: Lawyers · Privacy officers · Compliance · General readers · Policy
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