Pax­ton sues Tik­Tok for shar­ing minors’ per­son­al data

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) sued the social platform TikTok for allegedly operating in a way that “puts the online safety and privacy of Texas children at risk” and violates a bill that aims to protect children from harmful practices related to the use of digital services.

According to the filing, Paxton seeks civil penalties of up to $10,000 per violation and an injunction to prevent other violations.

“I will continue to hold TikTok and other Big Tech companies accountable for exploiting Texas children and failing to prioritize minors’ online safety and privacy. Texas law requires social media companies to take steps to protect kids online and requires them to provide parents with tools to do the same,” Paxton said in the release.

“TikTok and other social media companies cannot ignore their duties under Texas law,” he added in the press release.

The lawsuit alleges that TikTok has failed to comply with certain measures under the Securing Children Online Through Parental Empowerment Act, which protects children from harms related to social media and prohibits digital providers from sharing, disclosing or selling a minor’s personal information without permission from children’s parents or guardians.

The bill requires companies to provide parents with tools to manage and control privacy settings on their child’s account, which TikTok allegedly did not comply with according to the lawsuit.

According to the lawsuit, TikTok allegedly collects identifying information and data about users, including name, age, address, “approximate” location and more.

In response to a request for comment, TikTok said that it disagrees with the allegations, arguing that it does offer safeguards.

“We strongly disagree with these allegations and, in fact, we offer robust safeguards for teens and parents, including family pairing, all of which are publicly available. We stand by the protections we provide families,” it said.