On Tuesday, July 2nd, bipartisan lawmakers in the United States wrote to the Department of Justice (DOJ) urging prompt action regarding complaints against TikTok and its Chinese parent company ByteDance, which were referred to the department by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
The core of the complaint alleges that TikTok violated the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA).
Following an investigation, the FTC made these accusations against TikTok and its parent company.
Senator Edward Markey (Democrat, Massachusetts), Senator Bill Cassidy (Republican, Louisiana), Representative Tim Walberg (Republican, Michigan), and Representative Kathy Castor (Democrat, Florida) jointly wrote to the Department of Justice requesting it to “swiftly” address the complaints submitted by the FTC on June 18.
In the letter, the lawmakers stated that given TikTok’s previous violations of COPPA and the importance of protecting children’s online privacy, “we urge the Department of Justice to promptly investigate these allegations and take all necessary actions to safeguard children’s online privacy.”
Emphasizing the ongoing mental health crisis among adolescents — labeled a “public health emergency” by the head of the U.S. Department of Health in June — the lawmakers urged the Department of Justice to thoroughly review the FTC’s referral. If TikTok is found to have violated COPPA, they called for swift corrective action.
In 2019, the commission reached a settlement with TikTok, then known as Musical.ly, which paid a $5.7 million fine for violating COPPA, the highest fine obtained under the law by the commission.
According to the FTC, five years later, TikTok still has not complied with COPPA.
In June, the FTC announced transferring the complaint to the Department of Justice, stating that “the investigation indicates reason to believe the named defendants are or will be violating the law, thus filing a suit serves the public interest.”
Previously, a TikTok spokesperson refuted the FTC’s allegations and expressed disappointment that the agency chose litigation instead of continuing to work with them to find a reasonable solution.
These four lawmakers are key figures in both chambers pushing for the passage of an updated version of COPPA 2.0 to enhance children’s online privacy protection.
Child internet safety has become a bipartisan issue supported and promoted by both parties, but the child internet safety bill is still awaiting submission for a vote in both chambers.