Texas Attorney General Sues TikTok Over Alleged Violations of Children’s Privacy

Texas AG Sues TikTok for Alleged Violation of Minors’ Privacy

Representative Andy Barr discusses the House’s focus on bills to counter China’s aggression, including the ongoing debate on TikTok and other issues. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton this week filed a lawsuit against TikTok for allegedly sharing the personal data of minors. This move is seen as violating the state’s parental consent law, the Securing Children Online through Parental Empowerment (SCOPE) Act. More about the Texas attorney general’s TikTok lawsuit can be found here.

Understanding the SCOPE Act and Its Implications

The SCOPE Act was created in Texas with the ultimate goal of protecting minors from the potentially harmful practices of digital service providers. This law prohibits services like TikTok from sharing, disclosing, or selling a minor’s personal information without the consent of a parent or guardian.

TikTok Accused of Exploitation and Privacy Breach

Paxton alleges that TikTok, which is owned by Chinese company ByteDance, operates in a way that jeopardizes the online safety and privacy of Texas children. His lawsuit against TikTok specifically mentions this issue.

TikTok’s Family Pairing Feature Under Scrutiny

TikTok’s “Family Pairing” feature has become a focal point in Paxton’s lawsuit. He argues that TikTok does not provide a commercially reasonable method to verify the identity of a parent or guardian. He also points out that even if a parent’s identity gets verified, the known minor is the one who has the discretion to accept or deny their parent or guardian access to parental tools.

Allegations of Unlawful Data Sharing

The lawsuit further alleges that TikTok unlawfully shares, discloses, and sells minors’ personal identifying information without first obtaining permission from a verified parent. This alleged unlawful process includes sharing data such as a minor’s name, username, profile image, social media contacts, and user content.

TikTok Accused of Not Providing Parental Tools

Paxton also accuses TikTok of not creating and providing parental tools for the accounts of known minors. The SCOPE Act requires digital service providers to create and offer parental tools. These tools should enable a verified parent to supervise, monitor, and limit a minor’s use, privacy, and account settings.

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As part of his lawsuit, Paxton demanded a trial by jury and is seeking fines of $10,000 for each count. He is also calling for injunctive relief to prevent further violations of the SCOPE Act by the social media company.