Is TikTok ethical?

Another internal investigation showed TikTok Live was used to launder money, sell drugs and fund terrorist groups, according to the lawsuit.

TikTok knew its livestreaming feature allowed child exploitation, state lawsuit alleges | Utah | The Guardian

It's a practice that has become known as shadow banning, when TikTok quietly demotes someone's videos, and black creators like Doumbia feel like the app is targeting them.

Tiktok’s Climate Pledges Collide With Sponsorship of Climate Deniers - The Good Men Project

Alabama originally sued TikTok and its Chinese parent company ByteDance in April 2025, alleging the app was engineered to hook young users “just like a sophisticated gambling machine”.

TikTok reaches $100 million settlement with Alabama over youth safety issues

This TikTok Shop baby product is being recalled over a terrifying suffocation hazard - pennlive.com

The watchdog's probe will cover concerns raised in its two reports on children's experiences online and age assurance that age inference models used by TikTok.

TikTok facing UK investigation amid fears over age checks and harm to children | TikTok | The Guardian

NEW YORK – New York Attorney General Letitia James today released the following statement after New York State Supreme Court Judge Anar Rathod Patel denied TikTok’s motion to dismiss her lawsuit against the company for harming young people’s mental health:

Lawsuit Alleges TikTok Deliberately Exploited Young People to Induce Compulsive, Addictive Social Media Use for

The Supreme Court has dismissed an appeal from the Data Protection Commission (DPC) on a point of law arising from the commission’s decision to fine social media giant TikTok €530 million and direct it to stop sending user data to China.

Since then, TikTok has introduced new tools — including comment filters and a mass-blocking feature — to try to foster a safe environment for creators.

TikTok investigated by UK watchdog over use of children's data - BBC News

“We write regarding disgusting new reports that TikTok knowingly withheld a critical safety measure for millions of American users — including children — in order to determine whether protecting users would impact its financial bottom-line,” the four-page letter began.

where TikTok has “withheld, disabled, delayed, or reduced a safety feature,” the number of users involved and how many were minors.

That's where things stand after a group of fired TikTok moderators in the UK filed a legal claim with an employment tribunal.

TikTok lays off hundreds of content moderators, replaces them with AI | TechSpot

The moderators wanted to establish a collective bargaining unit to protect themselves from the personal costs of checking extreme and violent content, and have claimed TikTok is guilty of unfair dismissal and breaching trade union laws.

Sacked TikTok workers in UK launch legal action over ‘union busting’ | TikTok | The Guardian

She said by “laying off essential safety workers they are putting the platforms’ users at risk”, adding: “TikTok has made its position clear: union busting and trampling on our labour laws comes first – the safety of its users, including millions of children, and the wellbeing of its essential safety workers, comes last.

Moreover, in 2023, Britain’s data protection authority issued a $15.9 million fine to TikTok because the platform had failed to abide by data protection rules intended to safeguard children online.

COMPLAINT

A Texas judge on Thursday ruled the social media platform TikTok misled consumers about the company’s efforts to filter inappropriate content for minors.

TikTok Violated Texas Consumer Protection Law, Judge Rules 09/14/2026

TikTok violated a Texas consumer protection law by making misleading statements regarding its efforts to prevent minors from viewing "inappropriate" content, a state judge ruled Thursday.

The civil consumer protection complaint filed Friday in federal court in California accuses TikTok of collecting a "wide variety" of personal information from children who created accounts on the app dating back to 2019 through the present day.

DOJ suing TikTok over alleged 'widespread' child privacy violations - ABC News

The Justice Department and TikTok on Friday settled a lawsuit for $400 million over claims the social media company violated children's privacy laws.

In August of 2024, the Justice Department, under the Biden administration, sued the social media company for allegedly violating the Children's Online Privacy Act of 1998. The Justice Department alleged TikTok had stored, collected and processed data from child users without the consent of their parents.

TikTok, feds settle children's privacy lawsuit for $400 million - ABC News

TikTok also violates federal law that governs children’s privacy known as the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (“COPPA”) by collecting and maintaining children’s personal information.

For years, TikTok has represented their platform is not directed to children under 13 years of age and it does not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13 years old.

TikTok has even targeted children under the age of 13 in violation of U.S. law.

In August of 2024 TikTok was sued by the U.S. Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission for violating the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act and its implementing regulations (“COPPA”) by knowingly collecting and retaining personal information from children under the age of 13.

COMPLAINT

TikTok also reached a $400 million settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice in August, ending a 2024 lawsuit alleging the company violated federal children’s privacy laws.

TikTok settles Alabama mental health lawsuit just before trial begins | AP News

TikTok To Pay $400M In Justice Department Settlement Over Children's Privacy

TikTok reaches $400M settlement with DOJ over alleged children's privacy law violations

TikTok reaches $400M settlement with DOJ over alleged children’s privacy law violations

The lawsuit was filed during the Biden administration in August 2024, when the DOJ, together with the FTC, sued TikTok and ByteDance in California federal court, alleging that TikTok “knowingly permitted children to create regular TikTok accounts and to create, view and share short-form videos and messages with adults and others on the regular TikTok platform.” The DOJ alleged at the time that TikTok collected and retained a “wide variety of personal information from these children without notifying or obtaining consent from their parents.”

TikTok to Pay $400M to U.S. in DOJ Settlement Resolving COPPA LawsuitTikTok to Pay $400M to U.S. in DOJ Settlement Resolving COPPA Lawsuit

TikTok also reached a $400 million settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice in August, ending a 2024 lawsuit alleging the company violated federal children’s privacy laws.

TikTok settles lawsuit with Alabama for at least $100 million, will implement safety features – WTOP News

Since the lawsuit was filed, "TikTok has undergone significant changes to its ownership, management, compliance functions, and privacy practices," per the DOJ release.

The Justice Department and TikTok, along with parent company ByteDance, have reached a $400 million settlement to resolve allegations of violating children's online privacy laws, per an announcement first shared with Axios.

TikTok to pay $400m to US in one of largest child privacy settlements

TikTok has agreed to pay $400m (£293m) to the US to end a lawsuit alleging its platform violated children‘s privacy, marking one of the largest ever settlements over the issue.

TikTok also reached a $400 million settlement with the Justice Department in August, ending a 2024 lawsuit alleging the company violated federal children's privacy laws.

TikTok settles Alabama lawsuit over youth safety concerns for at least $100 million - CBS News

TikTok and its Chinese parent company agreed in August to settle allegations that the short-video app violated U.S. children's online privacy laws.

The $400 million settlement stems from a Justice Department lawsuit filed in 2024 accusing TikTok and ByteDance of failing to protect children's privacy and illegally collecting their personal information.

TikTok and its parent company, ByteDance, reached a $400 million settlement with the US Justice Department over children’s privacy litigation on Friday, one of the largest amounts yet for a case of this kind.

The Justice Department first sued TikTok in 2024, claiming the app failed to stop children from joining the app and unlawfully collected their personal data.

Justice Department reaches $400 million settlement with TikTok over child privacy case | CNN Business

An investigation from the Division of Enforcement and the Division of Privacy and Identity Protection found TikTok/ByteDance violated a 2019 consent order for infringing the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act.

PRESS RELEASE: FTC Investigation Leads to Lawsuit Against TikTok and ByteDance for Flagrantly Violating Children’s Privacy Law

On behalf of the Federal Trade Commission, the Department of Justice sued video-sharing platform TikTok, its parent company ByteDance, as well as its affiliated companies, with flagrantly violating a children’s privacy law—the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act—and also alleged they infringed an existing FTC 2019 consent order against TikTok for violating COPPA.

FTC Investigation Leads to Lawsuit Against TikTok and ByteDance for Flagrantly Violating Children’s Privacy Law

FTC Investigation Leads to Lawsuit Against TikTok and ByteDance for Flagrantly Violating Children’s Privacy Law | Federal Trade Commission

ByteDance and its related companies allegedly were aware of the need to comply with the COPPA Rule and the 2019 consent order and knew about TikTok’s compliance failures that put children’s data and privacy at risk.

“TikTok knowingly and repeatedly violated kids’ privacy, threatening the safety of millions of children across the country,” said FTC Chair Lina M.

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20580 STATEMENT OF THE FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION In the Matter of Bytedance/Musical.ly June 18, 2024 The Federal Trade Commission has referred to the Department of Justice a complaint against TikTok, the successor to Musical.ly, and its parent company ByteDance Ltd. The FTC’s investigation of these companies began in connection with our order compliance review of Musical.ly following a 2019 settlement with the company for violations of the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (“COPPA”).

It also defies an order that this Court entered in 2019 to resolve a lawsuit in which the United States alleged that TikTok Inc.’s and TikTok Ltd.’s predecessor companies similarly violated COPPA and the COPPA Rule by allowing children to create and access accounts without their parents’ knowledge or consent, collecting data from those children, and failing to comply with parents’ requests to delete their children’s accounts and information.

DOJ Reaches $400M Settlement With TikTok in Children's Privacy Claims

Department of Justice announced that it had reached a $400 million settlement with TikTok on Friday, resolving two-year claims that the short-form video app giant and its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, breached federal children's privacy laws.

DOJ Reaches $400M Settlement With TikTok in Children's Privacy Claims | Law.com

TikTok has reached a $400 million settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice, ending a 2024 lawsuit alleging the company violated federal children’s privacy laws.

The latest lawsuit focused on allegations that TikTok and its China-based parent company ByteDance violated a federal law that requires kid-oriented apps and websites to get parental consent before collecting personal information of children under 13. It also says the companies failed to honor requests from parents who wanted their children’s accounts deleted, and chose not to delete accounts even when the firms knew they belonged to kids under 13. The settlement comes as social media companies face an avalanche of lawsuits over children’s safety and privacy and a growing number of countries are banning young kids and teens from social media apps.

Under the settlement announced Friday, TikTok will pay $300 million.

TikTok Settles With U.S. Over Child Privacy Concerns for $400 Million - The New York Times

TikTok violated federal privacy law along with a 2019 agreement with the government in which the app promised to take steps to protect children’s privacy, according to the government. Under the settlement announced Friday, TikTok will pay $300 million.

24, 2026, Section B, Page 4 of the New York edition with the headline: TikTok to Pay $400 Million For Violating Child Privacy.

The Justice Department said Friday it has reached an agreement to dismiss claims that TikTok and its Chinese parent company, ByteDance violated children’s online privacy protections and a 2019 settlement with the Federal Trade Commission.

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

⁠TikTok and its Chinese former parent company ByteDance on Friday agreed to a $400m settlement to resolve the US Department of Justice’s allegations that the short-form video app ⁠violated children’s online ⁠privacy.

TikTok agrees to $400m settlement to resolve US children’s privacy litigation | TikTok | The Guardian

TikTok’s calamitous emigration began on 22 January when its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, finalized a deal to sell the app to a group of US investors, among them the business software giant Oracle. The day after the deal closed, its new owners altered its privacy policy to permit more extensive data collection.

TikTok agrees to $400 million US children's privacy settlement

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

TikTok’s $400 million settlement from last month came after the Justice Department sued TikTok and ByteDance in 2024 for allegedly failing to protect children's privacy and illegally collecting their information.

Wu came weeks after TikTok and its Chinese parent company ByteDance agreed to settle allegations that its app violated children’s online privacy laws. Under the settlement, TikTok would pay $300 million immediately and an additional $100 million upon entry of an order vacating a prior consent decree entered with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in 2019 against TikTok’s predecessor, Musical.ly.

Under the settlement, TikTok would pay $300 million immediately and an additional $100 million upon entry of an order vacating a prior consent decree entered with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in 2019 against TikTok’s predecessor, Musical.ly.

TikTok also reached a $400 million settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice in August, ending a 2024 lawsuit alleging the company violated federal children’s privacy laws.

TikTok Settles Lawsuit With Alabama for at Least $100 Million, Will Implement Safety Features

TikTok has reached a $400 million settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice, ending a 2024 lawsuit alleging the company violated federal children's privacy laws.

The latest lawsuit focused on allegations that TikTok and its China-based parent company ByteDance violated a federal law that requires kid-oriented apps and websites to get parental consent before collecting personal information of children under 13. It also says the companies failed to honor requests from parents who wanted their children’s accounts deleted, and chose not to delete accounts even when the firms knew they belonged to kids under 13. The settlement comes as social media companies face an avalanche of lawsuits over children's safety and privacy and a growing number of countries are banning young kids and teens from social media apps.

TikTok Reaches $400 Million Settlement With US Justice Department Over Children's Privacy

WASHINGTON, Sept ⁠19 (Reuters) - TikTok and ByteDance's proposed $400 million settlement with the US Justice Department ​hit a hurdle on Friday after a federal judge indicated he would reject part of the agreement.

The $400 ⁠million settlement stems from a Justice Department lawsuit filed in 2024 accusing TikTok and ByteDance of failing to protect children's privacy and illegally collecting their personal information.

The Justice Department and TikTok have reached ‌a $400 million settlement to resolve allegations the popular video sharing app violated children's online privacy.

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.

Two Black former workers of video-sharing platform TikTok have filed a federal class action complaint alleging they faced racial discrimination and ultimately were fired from the company when they took the matter to human resources.

TikTok is getting caught up—again—in discrimination accusations.

“We are asking the EEOC to investigate TikTok’s pattern or practice of retaliation against workers who complain about discrimination,” the complaint adds.

Matima and Carter are the first known TikTok employees to file a discrimination charge with the EEOC.

Matima and Carter allege TikTok has a practice of downplaying complaints of racial discrimination and then retaliates against people who speak out.

TikTok accused of racial discrimination, bias and retaliation of Black workers Two Black employees bring charges with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, alleging they suffered discrimination and retaliation while working at the social media giant.

TikTok accused of racial discrimination, bias and retaliation of Black workers : NPR

TikTok removed 112 million pieces of content — mainly with automated systems — which violated the platform’s policies in the EU between July and December 2025, according to the Chinese social media giant’s latest transparency report.

This isn't the first time TikTok has decided that AI can do a better job of moderating platform content than humans. It laid off 500 employees in Malaysia last year, replacing them with AI in what was again framed as a consolidation of certain regional operations.

In July 2025, TikTok hired Erica Mindel, a former Israeli soldier with a documented record of anti-Palestinian politics, to police user speech on the platform.

USA: TikTok & Bytedance face lawsuit over retaliation & sex & age discrimination against former TikTok executive - Business and Human Rights Centre

USA: TikTok & Bytedance face lawsuit over retaliation & sex & age discrimination against former TikTok executive

If a person uses TikTok to search for the account of a known minor whose account is set t o “private,” Defendants will share and disclose the known minor’s personal identifying information, such as their name and username .

FOR THE TWENTIETH JUDICIAL DISTRICT AT NASHVILLE DAVIDGON CO.CO. CHANCI 2024OCT II PM12 FILED IN RE INVESTIGATION OF TIKTOK, INC. ) CLERICA & MASTE ) Case No. 23-0298-I ) MEMORANDUM OF LAW IN SUPPORT OF MOTION REQUESTING REMEDIES TO ADDRESS SPOLIATION AND COMPEL COMPLIANCE WITH AGREED ORDER INTRODUCTION The State of Tennessee, Office of the Attorney General and Reporter (the "State" or "Attorney General") moves this honorable Court to provide remedies to address the spoliation uncovered during the State's investigation into TikTok, Inc. ("TikTok" or the "Company") as provided by statute and precedent, and to compel the Company to comply with the Agreed Order on Motion for an Order Compelling TikTok, Inc. to Comply with the Attorney General's Request for Information entered herein on April 17, 2023 (the "Agreed Order").

While hyperscalers, neoclouds and AI labs have been racing to secure digital infrastructure to power AI workloads in the Nordics, looking to capitalize on available land and power, TikTok is expanding there as part of efforts to strengthen protections for European user data.

The Z-Bot RICO Enterprise violated Section 817.02 through the false personation of TikTok Global and its CEO, evident in the deceptions broadcast on September 14, 2020, by CNBC and the misleading public statements issued by ByteDance on September 20, 2020, disseminated widely on their websites and to the press.

The Z -Bot RICO defendants ByteDance, Zhang, and TikTok also violated 13 section 1341 (relating to mail fraud) and also section 1343 (relating to wire fraud) on Sep. 20, 2020 thru sending out a false misleading email message to millions of their users in the Unite d States falsely claiming “we've confirmed a proposal that resolves the Administration's security concerns and settles questions around TikTok's future in the US.”

By engaging in these and similar misrepresentations, and by failing to disclose critical, material information regarding its platform’s risks, TikTok deceives users.

Nowhere in its testimony, posts, or advertisements does TikTok disclose that the screen time limit is ineffective and can be easily bypassed, extended, or even disabled.

TikTok’s deception and lack of transparency prevents young users and their parents from making truly informed decisions about platform usage.

(collectively, “TikTok” or “Defendants”), and to hold TikTok accountable for the harms it has inflicted on the youngest New Yorkers by falsely marketing and promoting its addictive and otherwise harmful mobile social media application (“app”) and website (together, “platform”) in this State.

After being consistently pressured to do so, TikTok adopted a series of so-called safety features to protect young people on its platform.

COMPLAINT

Absent injunctive relief by this Court, TikTok is likely to continue to injure consumers and harm the public interest.

Consumers are suffering, have suffered, and will continue to suffer substantial injury as a result of TikTok’s violations of the UTPCPL.

COMPLAINT

The Illinois Attorney General, in October 2024, joined thirteen other states in filing enforcement actions against TikTok for violating state consumer protection statutes and committing common-law torts.

The Alabama Attorney General's Office sued TikTok in April 2025, accusing it of "fueling a mental health crisis among Alabama's youth."

The Times reported that the probe seems to be related to the admission from ByteDance, which owns TikTok, in December that some of its employees inappropriately gained access to some U.S. citizens’ user data.

A recent wave of lawsuits accusing social media giant TikTok, the National Football League and sports memorabilia company Fanatics of colluding to boost Fanatics’ business at competitors’ expense shows how social media platforms’ algorithms and curation could give rise to antitrust claims.