DOJ says TikTok collected sensitive user data on issues like abortion and gun control

The ongoing battle between the US government and TikTok owner Bytedance continues, with the Department of Justice (DOJ) saying that TikTok collected sensitive user data on a variety of controversial topics …

Possible TikTok bans in the US and Europe

TikTok is facing potential bans in both Europe and the US.

In Europe, Bytedance lost its claim that it didn’t have enough EU users to be subjected to antitrust law, and said that it would comply, but may still be found guilty of breaking child protection laws. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has described the app as “dangerous.”

In the US, the House voted overwhelmingly to either ban TikTok from the US, or to force the sale of the app to an American-owned company. TikTok took the US government to court, arguing that the threatened ban would be unconstitutional, interfering with a first amendment right to free speech. That case has been fast-tracked, and will be heard in September.

DOJ says TikTok collected sensitive user data

The latest development in the US case took place on Friday, when the DOJ submitted a filing asking the court to dismiss the Bytedance call to rule the threatened ban unconstitutional.

Engadget reports that the company is now accused of collecting data on user views on a range of sensitive topics.

In one of the documents filed with the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit, the DOJ says a search tool within Lark, the web-suite system the company’s employees use to communicate, “allowed ByteDance and TikTok employees in the United States and China to collect bulk user information based on the user’s content or expressions, including views on gun control, abortion, and religion.” The DOJ also argues in the filings that TikTok could be used to subject US users to content manipulation, and that their sensitive information could end up stored on servers in China.

TikTok didn’t deny the claims, merely stating that the government hasn’t proved them.

The government has never put forth proof of its claims, including when Congress passed this unconstitutional law. Today, once again, the government is taking this unprecedented step while hiding behind secret information. We remain confident we will prevail in court.

Photo by Solen Feyissa on Unsplash