Uncle Sam sues TikTok for 'extensive' data harvesting from millions of kids

The US government is suing TikTok, claiming the mega-popular app broke the law by playing fast and loose with millions of kids' data and privacy. In a civil federal lawsuit [PDF] filed in California today, Dept of Justice prosecutors alleged TikTok and its Beijing-based parent ByteDance violated America's Children’s Online …

[IGotOut]

Great...

And now follow up with Meta and MS.

[Blackjack]

Re: Great...

The USA government uses a lot of Microsoft products with Meta they don't even have that excuse.

[seldom]

DOJ LOL (at the Justice part)

You want a crime? They'll find one (or thirty two if you insist and are sharp as a tack).

[Rich 2]

have for the past five years….

And how in the name of the deity of your choice has it taken them 5 years to notice the activities noted in this list of the blindingly obvious?

I sometimes feel I live in a parallel universe

[ecofeco]

Re: have for the past five years….

All U.S. consumer watchdog agencies have had their funding gutted over the last 30 years.

Take a wild guess by who. Go on!

[cyberdemon]

Re: have for the past five years….

Ooo oo was it the PLANDEMOCRATS!

Or was it the REPUGNACANS!

Or was it both?

Icon: Democracy

[pavlecom]

.. an excuse

Just created an excuse for shutdown of TikTok coz they not have a full control over them. Only one free social media outlet is "a danger to our democracy" and Trump election issue. That's all.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: .. an excuse

Meanwhile, across the pond...

How TikTok bots and AI have powered a resurgence in UK far-right violence

[amajadedcynicaloldfart]

Re: .. an excuse

@A/C

Did you actually read that article? Need I ask?

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: .. an excuse

Yes. Seems like a "danger to democracy" to me. What does it seem to you?

[Casca]

Re: .. an excuse

Sure china boot licker

[Tron]

Reds under the bed.

If you are American and use TikTok for socialising or income generation, your life is about to get screwed over by your government.

So when they come asking for your vote in a few months time, you know what to say.

[Strahd Ivarius]

Re: Reds under the bed.

If you are American and use TikTok for socialising

you are a bloody Communist!

[dadbot5000]

Surprise, surprise, surprise! The Chinese spyware on your kid's phone isn't playing by the rules. The sooner we can get TikTok sold to an American company or killed altogether, the better.

[Alumoi]

Surprise, surprise, surprise! The US/UK/Israeli/EU/Russian/Chinese spyware on your kid's phone isn't playing by the rules. The sooner we can get $corporation sold to $our_favorite_company or killed altogether, the better.

[lglethal]

I've never understood how companies saying "Oh we've addressed that. We no longer break the law, so we're fine." is considered a good defence. It's admitting you were breaking the law!

"Your honour, yes I killed him. But that was in the past, I've addressed my issues and I will not be killing anyone in the future. So I expect you to acquit me now! Stop living in the past your honour!"

[pavlecom]

.. "honor"

It's on a state level, like O.J. Simpson case, the start point, when the "honor" goes straight down to the toilet, so corporations in the state goes in line of the state honor.

[Kevin McMurtrie]

You mean, "We're no longer breaking that law."

[Michael Wojcik]

Well, if the defendant has reason to believe the prosecution has significant evidence of past violations, then it's a better defense than "we have never!".