The US state of Texas has filed a lawsuit against TikTok alleging it violated children's privacy and violating state law by sharing children's personally identifiable information without the consent of their parents or guardians, Reuters reported, as quoted by News.bg.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed the lawsuit in state court in Galveston County. The suit includes a request for an injunction and civil penalties of up to $10,000 for each violation of the Child Online Protection Act, which aims to give parents more control over their children's online activity.
Paxton points out that TikTok, owned by the Chinese company ByteDance, does not offer enough protections for children's privacy, even allowing the sharing of information from accounts set as “private”. In addition, the platform allows targeted advertising to children, which constitutes an additional violation.
"Tech companies like TikTok must be held accountable for their exploitation of Texas children and their failure to prioritize their safety and privacy online,'' Paxton said.