ByteDance, the parent company behind the popular short video social media platform TikTok has agreed to settle a class-action lawsuit for $92 million, reports Reuters. The lawsuit is related to the data privacy claims from some users in the United States.
Confirming this development, the company said in a statement: “While we disagree with the assertions, rather than go through lengthy litigation, we’d like to focus our efforts on building a safe and joyful experience for the TikTok community.”
Do note that the settlement still requires court approval. It combines 21 proposed class action lawsuits against TikTok over alleged privacy violations. The lawsuit makes some substantial claims, from allegations that the company analyzed users’ faces to determine ethnicity, gender, and age to alleged violations of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act over its transmission of private data.
Apart from $92 million, the company has also agreed to avoid several behaviors that could compromise user privacy unless it specifically discloses those behaviors in its privacy policy. It includes storing biometric information, collecting GPS or clipboard data, and sending or storing US users’ data outside the country.
Earlier, in 2019, TikTok had settled a lawsuit over alleged children’s privacy allegations. In the same year, it had paid $5.7 million to the Federal Trade Commission over accusations that its predecessor, Musical.ly didn’t gain parental approval for young users.
RELATED:
