TikTok and parent company ByteDance have agreed to pay $400 million to settle a lawsuit with the US Department of Justice over claims that the video-sharing platform violated federal children’s privacy laws, the department announced on Friday.
“Under the settlement, TikTok will pay $300 million immediately and an additional $100 million upon entry of an order vacating a prior consent decree entered against TikTok’s predecessor, Musical.ly,” the department said in a statement.
It’s “one of the largest recoveries ever obtained” from a case involving the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), the statement continued.
COPPA bars websites from gathering the personal information of children younger than 13 without parental permission.
The Justice Department and Federal Trade Commission jointly sued TikTok in 2024, alleging that it had placed the safety of millions of children in jeopardy by collecting their personal data without parental permission. Related News Parents sue surrogate mother for $100,000 after she refuses abortion request States risk losing investment over weak data protection – NDPC Oyo to tackle HIV with data, begins surveillance survey training
