Indiana Files Lawsuit Against TikTok Over Security Concerns
TikTok, a popular short-form video hosting service owned by the Chinese company, Byte Dance faces lawsuit from the State of Indiana in the United States.
Todd Rokita, Indiana’s Attorney General, has charged ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, with breaking the law on consumer protection.
A bipartisan group of attorney generals in the U.S have been looking into the TikTok platform in recent years due to its ties to China, potential repercussions on young people’s mental health as well as data security.
The lawsuit announcement follows the drafting of legislation to outlaw TikTok in other US jurisdictions including Texas, South Dakota, and South Carolina following reports from the FBI that TikTok is a national security risk.
Attorney General Todd Rokita,filing two lawsuits in the state superior court asserts that the Chinese government may potentially access anything, including people’s interests and facial traits. The lawsuits contend that ByteDance misled users about the app’s data security and suitability for the youth .
Excerpts from the court documents states that “TikTok is a wolf in sheep’s clothing.”
“As long as TikTok is permitted to deceive and mislead Indiana consumers about the risks to their data, those consumers and their privacy are easy prey.”
According to the complaint, the app’s algorithm promotes a range of inappropriate content, “depicting alcohol, tobacco, and drugs; sexual content, nudity, and suggestive themes; and intense profanity.”
Additionally, TikTok is running into legal issues overseas. The social media corporation could be fined $29 million ($27 million) in the UK for failing to safeguard children’s privacy when they use the platform.
In an effort to secure a national security agreement to safeguard the data of hundreds of millions TikTok users in the US, the Biden administration has been in discussions with company representatives for months.
Indiana has disputed the company’s claim in the lawsuit that the data it collects is not stored in China and is not governed by Chinese law.
In a statement sent through email, Brooke Oberwetter, a representative for TikTok, said
“While we don’t comment on pending litigation, the safety, privacy and security of our community is our top priority.”
“We are also confident that we’re on a path in our negotiations with the U.S. Government to fully satisfy all reasonable U.S. national security concerns, and we have already made significant strides toward implementing those solutions.”
TikTok’s official website states that it is “deeply committed to ensuring the safety of minors” and prohibits any videos that involve the exploitation or endangerment of children. According to the corporation, such videos are “subject to intervention from law enforcement.”
Author- Roberta Appiah
