Justice Department Accuses TikTok of Data Collection on Sensitive Social Issues

The Justice Department Takes Aim at TikTok, Accusing App of Gathering Bulk Information on Divisive Social Issues

In a bold move against popular tech giant TikTok, the Justice Department has filed court documents alleging that the social media platform has the capability to collect vast amounts of data on users’ views on controversial topics such as gun control, abortion, and religion.

The government’s brief, filed with the federal appeals court in Washington, claims that TikTok and its parent company ByteDance have been using an internal web-suite system called Lark to facilitate communication between TikTok employees in the U.S. and ByteDance engineers in China. This system allegedly allows sensitive data about U.S. users to be shared and stored on Chinese servers, accessible to ByteDance employees.

According to the court documents, TikTok employees have used Lark to track users’ views on sensitive topics, including LGBTQ content, and could potentially manipulate the algorithm to shape the content that users see on their feeds. The government raised concerns about potential “covert content manipulation” by the Chinese government through the app.

The legal battle between TikTok and the U.S. government comes amid bipartisan worries about Chinese influence and data security. A law signed by President Joe Biden in April could lead to a ban on TikTok if it fails to sever ties with ByteDance.

TikTok, for its part, has fiercely contested the allegations, arguing that a ban would violate the First Amendment rights of its 170 million American users. The company has also challenged the government’s claims of national security risks and argued that the ban would stifle free speech on the platform.

The case is set to be heard in court in September, where the future of TikTok in the U.S. hangs in the balance. The outcome of this high-stakes legal battle could have far-reaching implications for the popular social media platform and its millions of users.