A federal judge in California rejected TikTok’s request on Friday and upheld an order requiring privacy protection measures for platform users under the age of 13. The decision maintains judicial oversight of the company’s practices and could affect a $400 million settlement reached with the United States government.
Judge George H. Wu found that neither TikTok nor the U.S. administration had demonstrated that the obligations imposed by the order were no longer necessary. The measures were initially imposed on Musical.ly, TikTok’s predecessor, which was later acquired by ByteDance.
The ruling could affect $100 million of the settlement signed in August, as that amount was conditional on the cancellation of the previous order. The court found that changes in ownership structure, measures adopted by the company, and the recent agreement with authorities did not demonstrate substantial compliance with the existing obligations.
The case concerns allegations of violations of children’s data protection rules, brought during the Biden administration. The decision complicates TikTok’s U.S. operations, which have already been under scrutiny for several years because of the platform’s Chinese owner.
The ruling is provisional. A hearing on the U.S. government’s request is scheduled for September 21.
Sources
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