The US Justice Department and the Federal Trade Commission are set to investigate claims that TikTok has violated the privacy of children.
As reported by Reuters, the social media app broke an agreement it signed in 2019 in regards to privacy for minors. However, US secretary of state Mike Pompeo has claimed the country could possibly ban the app, saying that “we are certainly looking at it.”
However, the ByteDance-owned company has claimed that safety is its number one priority, especially amongst young children.
“TikTok is led by an American CEO, with hundreds of employees and key leaders across safety, security, product, and public policy here in the US We have no higher priority than promoting a safe and secure app experience for our users. We have never provided user data to the Chinese government, nor would we do so if asked,” said a TikTok spokesperson, via The Verge.
Emerging problems
Furthermore it was claimed that safety is taken seriously for all users and that TikTok does “accommodate users under 13 in a limited app experience that introduces additional safety and privacy protections designed specifically for a younger audience.”
The rising issues with the US are not the only problems being faced by TikTok. Recently, it was confirmed that the app would be removed from the Hong Kong market. The decision was made based upon the new national security measures being enforced by the Chinese government.
