TikTok Reaches $400 Million Settlement Over Children’s Privacy
TL;DR
TikTok and its former parent ByteDance have agreed to a $400 million settlement with the US Department of Justice over alleged COPPA violations, accusing the app of collecting data from children under 13 without parental consent. The payout is $300 million upfront and $100 million later after a prior 2019 FTC consent decree is vacated (tied to Musical.ly). The DoJ notes changes in ownership, management, and privacy practices, while ByteDance-forward steps include forming a majority-American joint venture to protect US data. TikTok says it has strengthened age-verification and underage-moderation efforts, with hundreds of staff and tens of thousands of underage accounts removed.
- TikTok agrees to $400m settlement to resolve US children’s privacy litigation The Guardian
- TikTok Settles With U.S. Over Child Privacy Concerns for $400 Million The New York Times
- TikTok agrees to $400 million US children's privacy settlement Reuters
- Scoop: DOJ, TikTok settle for $400 million in children's privacy suit Axios
- TikTok agrees to pay $400 million to settle Justice Department children's privacy case Fox Business
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