FTC recommends lawsuit against TikTok over child privacy violations

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced Tuesday that it recommended a civil lawsuit against TikTok and its Chinese parent company ByteDance to the Department of Justice for allegedly violating the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA).

The FTC’s investigation suggests that the companies may be violating the law, adding to the pressure on TikTok, which is already facing a potential ban in the US if ByteDance doesn’t sell the app by 2025.

In 2019, TikTok settled similar FTC claims with a $5.7 million fine.

The agency recommendation follows an investigation into the short video platform’s compliance with a previous legal settlement. The findings have been referred to the Department of Justice (DOJ), which has 45 days to decide on pursuing the case.