DOJ and TikTok reach $400 million settlement amid child privacy violation

The U.S. Department ​of Justice and TikTok have reached ‌a $400 million settlement to resolve allegations the short-video app violated children’s online ​privacy.

The Justice Department sued TikTok and ​ByteDance in 2024 for allegedly failing ⁠to protect children’s privacy, and illegally ​collecting their information.

The US Justice Department and TikTok have agreed on a $400 million settlement to resolve allegations that the social media app violated children’s online ​privacy. AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato

The DOJ initially sued the platform along with ByteDance in 2024 for allegedly failing to protect children’s privacy online while also illegally collecting data. REUTERS

The defendants were accused ​of violating the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, which requires services aimed at children ​to obtain parental consent to ​collect personal information from users under age ‌13.

The ⁠settlement was announced by the Justice Department.

A court filing shows that its lawsuit against TikTok and TikTok ​parent ​ByteDance is ⁠being dismissed with prejudice.

In January, ByteDance agreed to establish a majority American-owned joint venture ​to ⁠secure U.S. data and avoid a U.S. ban on the app used ⁠by ​more than 200 million ​Americans.