Controversies
Controversies tied to this brand in public sources. A listing is not a finding of fault.
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2021
SOMI sues TikTok over children’s data collection
Lawsuit filed
The Market Information Research Foundation (SOMI) filed a lawsuit against TikTok in an Amsterdam court, alleging that TikTok collected children’s data without proper permission and failed to ensure children’s safety and privacy.
Source excerpt
According to Dutch media, on June 2, SOMI filed the lawsuit in a court in Amsterdam against the Chinese social media app for violating the European Union’s data protection law. The organization claims that TikTok is collecting the data of children without proper permission, that some videos on the platform can be harmful to children, and that the company neglects to ensure the safety and privacy of children.
2021
EU consumer authorities seek TikTok's response to complaints
Investigation
The EU gave TikTok one month to respond to consumer-group complaints alleging violations of EU consumer law and inadequate protection of children from covert advertising and inappropriate content. The European Commission said it had held a formal dialogue with TikTok and national consumer groups to review the company's practices and policies.
Stated objective. Review TikTok's commercial practices and policies.
Source excerpt
欧盟执委会表示，已与TikTok和各国消费者团体举行正式对话，以审查该公司的商业做法和政策。
欧盟周五给予中国字节跳动旗下的TikTok一个月的时间，就欧盟消费者团体的多项投诉做出回应。投诉称，TikTok违反欧盟消费者法，且未能保护儿童免受变相广告和不当内容的影响。
2021
Actor sues TikTok over use of her voice
Lawsuit filed
Actor Bev Standing sued TikTok, alleging that her voice was used in its text-to-speech function without permission. Her lawyer said the legal filing was issued in New York the previous week; TikTok and its parent company had not responded to the filing, and TikTok said it did not comment on continuing litigation.
Source excerpt
Standing, from Ontario, Canada, told BBC News no permission had been given for these recordings to be used in any other applications or resold.
Neither TikTok nor parent company Bytedance had responded to the legal filing, issued in New York last week, he added.
An actor is suing TikTok for using her voice in its text-to-speech function.
2021
TikTok fined by Moscow court
Fine or penalty
A Moscow court fined TikTok 2.6 million rubles for failing to remove posts calling for minors to join unsanctioned protests, saying the information violated Russian law.
Source excerpt
The court said on its Telegram channel that the video-sharing platform had been found guilty of failing to remove information that violates Russian law and sentenced to an administrative fine of 2.6 million rubles ($34,000, 28,000 euros).
A Moscow court on Tuesday fined TikTok more than $30,000 for failing to delete posts calling for minors to join unsanctioned protests in support of jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny.
The Tagansky District Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday found TikTok guilty of failing to remove posts that called on minors to attend the unauthorized protests and ordered it to pay the $32,700 fine, TASS reported.
2021
Russia sues social media platforms over protest content
Lawsuit filed
Russian authorities sued Twitter, Google, Facebook, TikTok and Telegram, alleging that the platforms failed to delete posts urging children to take part in illegal protests. The report said each violation could be punishable by a fine of up to 4 million roubles.
Source excerpt
Twitter, Google, Facebook each have three cases against them, with each violation punishable by a fine of up to 4 million roubles and cases have also been filed against TikTok and Telegram, the report said.
Russian authorities are suing five social media platforms for allegedly failing to delete posts urging children to take part in illegal protests, the Interfax news agency cited a Moscow court as saying on Tuesday.
Russian authorities are suing five social media platforms for allegedly failing to delete posts urging children to take part in illegal protests, the Interfax news agency cited a Moscow court as saying on Tuesday, foreign media reported.
2021
TikTok users’ privacy class-action settlement agreement
Settlement
ByteDance agreed to a proposed $92 million settlement following a class-action lawsuit by U.S. TikTok users over alleged data-privacy practices. The settlement is tentative and awaits final approval by a U.S. District Court judge. The lawsuits alleged that the app collected and transmitted private user data; the allegations are not presented as a court finding.
Company response
Denial — TikTok
“While we disagree with the assertions, rather than go through lengthy litigation, we’d like to focus our efforts on building a safe and joyful experience for the TikTok community,” a TikTok spokesperson told FOX Business in a statement Thursday.
Source excerpt
ByteDance, the Chinese parent company of the popular video app TikTok, has reached a $92 million agreement following a class-action lawsuit from a group of users in the United States over data privacy concerns.
“While we disagree with the assertions, rather than go through lengthy litigation, we’d like to focus our efforts on building a safe and joyful experience for the TikTok community,” a TikTok spokesperson told FOX Business in a statement Thursday.
The group of 21 federal lawsuits, some of which are filed on behalf of minors, claim the TikTok app "infiltrates its users’ devices and extracts a broad array of private data including biometric data and content that defendants use to track and profile TikTok users for the purpose of, among other things, ad targeting and profit."
2021
TikTok agrees to $92 million privacy lawsuit settlement
Settlement
TikTok agreed to pay $92 million to settle a class action lawsuit over alleged privacy violations. The claims included allegations that the app collected sensitive personal data to track users and target ads; TikTok rejected the allegations.
Company response
Denial — TikTok
Source excerpt
TikTok has agreed to pay $92 million to settle a class action lawsuit over alleged privacy violations, which included claims that the app collected “highly sensitive personal data” to track users and target ads to them.
The proposed settlement awaits final approval from Judge John Z. Lee.
2021
TikTok agrees to reverify users' ages in Italy
Company response
Following an emergency order by Italy's data protection authority, TikTok agreed to recheck the ages of users in Italy and block access for users who say they are under 13. TikTok also committed to additional in-app reporting and moderation measures.
Company response
Ongoing disclosure — TikTok
从2月9日开始，意大利的每一位用户都需要重新经过其年龄程序--只有13岁及以上的用户才能继续使用该应用。
Source excerpt
周三，该机构确认了TikTok已经同意采取的措施。
据外媒TechCrunch报道，意大利数据保护机构周三表示，TikTok已经同意重新核实意大利每位用户的年龄，并阻止那些声明自己年龄小于13岁的用户访问。
2020
United States national-security and data-access controversy
TikTok faced sustained scrutiny in the United States over ByteDance’s ownership, possible Chinese government access to user data, employee access to information, and control of the recommendation algorithm. The controversy produced proposals including Project Texas, cloud-hosting arrangements, restrictions, and a possible divestiture.
2020
TikTok addresses concerns over clipboard access
Issue disclosure
Users and developers reported repeated clipboard-access notifications while using TikTok on iOS 14. TikTok said the behavior was triggered by a feature that identified repeated harassment and that it had submitted an app update removing the feature; a report said the update no longer accessed the clipboard.
Company response
Remediation — TikTok
我们已经向App Store提交了更新版本，删除了该功能，以消除任何可能出现的混乱。
Source excerpt
据MacRumors报道，目前，TikTok更新已提交至App Store，且下载更新确认TikTok已不再访问剪贴板。
在发给英国《每日电讯报》的一份声明中，TikTok表示对TikTok而言，这是由一个识别重复性骚扰行为的功能触发的。我们已经向App Store提交了更新版本，删除了该功能，以消除任何可能出现的混乱。
有不少用户及开发者已经将手上的iPhone升级到了iOS14，不过他们发现在使用TikTok时，会收到持续通知提示TikTok不断读取剪贴板的信息，通知每隔几秒就会弹出一次。
2020
US executive orders restrict transactions with TikTok and WeChat
Ban or restriction
In August 2020, President Trump signed executive orders prohibiting transactions involving TikTok or WeChat and persons or property subject to US jurisdiction; the orders were to take effect in 45 days. The orders cited national security concerns, including allegations that the apps provided channels for access to Americans' proprietary information and spread disinformation for the Chinese Communist Party's interests.
2020
TikTok updates US content policy ahead of election
Company response
TikTok announced an update to its US content policy ahead of the presidential election, stating that the change was intended to curb misinformation on the platform. The company described the policy update as a measure taken in connection with the election period. The announcement did not specify the particular content rules involved or how they would be enforced. The stated purpose was to limit the spread of false information on the service.
TikTok said it had updated its US content policy ahead of the presidential election to curb misinformation on the platform.
Stated objective. To curb misinformation on the platform ahead of the US presidential election.
Source excerpt
公司已更新内容政策，在美国总统大选前遏制平台上的不实信息。
Mr Mayer committed to acting responsibly and to address issues related to illegal and harmful content, including taking additional steps in the fight against disinformation, the official said.
Chinese video app TikTok's new chief executive Kevin Mayer has told EU digital chief Thierry Breton he intends to play an active role fighting disinformation, an EU official said on Tuesday, as Breton pushes tech giants to step up their efforts against fake news.
2020
Triller sues TikTok over patent infringement
Lawsuit filed
Triller sued TikTok and its parent company ByteDance in U.S. District Court, alleging that TikTok features for combining video clips with a single audio track infringe a Triller patent. The allegations are claims in the lawsuit, not a court determination.
Source excerpt
Triller要求法院禁止Tiktok的进一步侵权行为，并要求得到赔偿金。目前Triller的求偿数额不明。
据路透社7月30日消息，Triller周三（29日）向美国德州西区的地区法院提交了诉状，指TikTok去年12月推出的“绿屏视频”功能可让用户拍摄多条视频，之后与一条音频进行同步。
美国Triller日前起诉抖音海外版TikTok，指控TikTok在单条音频中将多条音乐视频同步到一起侵犯其专利。
2020
South Korea fines TikTok over child data practices
Fine or penalty
South Korea's Korea Communications Commission fined TikTok 186 million won. The watchdog said TikTok collected data from children under 14 without guardian consent and failed to inform users that personal data was transferred overseas. The regulator's findings concerned the platform's handling of minors' information and its disclosure practices regarding cross-border data transfers. The fine was announced as part of the commission's enforcement action against TikTok over these data practices.
Company response
Clarification — TikTok
TikTok said it was "deeply committed" to meeting the requirements of the law.
Source excerpt
The KCC, the country's media watchdog, said TikTok collected data of children under 14 years old without the consent of legal guardians.
The company was fined 186m won (£123,000) by the Korea Communications Commission (KCC).
The Chinese firm also failed to inform users that personal data was transferred overseas, the watchdog added.
2020
VNG sues TikTok over alleged use of Zing music
Lawsuit filed
VNG sued TikTok in Vietnam, alleging that TikTok used audio tracks owned by VNG subsidiary Zing without adequate licences or consent. A court document seeks damages and demands that TikTok cease using Zing's music; the source reports allegations, not a court determination.
Source excerpt
VNG is suing TikTok, the Chinese short-form video platform, for not having sufficient licences for the songs being used in its videos.
VNG said TikTok used audio tracks owned by Zing, a VNG subsidiary, without the company's consent, two sources familiar with the issue told
TikTok's media representative responded to ICTnews that there was no information about the lawsuit.
2020
ByteDance sues the US federal government over executive orders affecting TikTok
Lawsuit filed
ByteDance filed a lawsuit against the US federal government concerning an August 6 executive order affecting TikTok. According to ByteDance, the order could deprive the TikTok community of rights, and the company argued that it lacked evidence and due process. The dispute became a controversy note in TikTok's brand history, centering on the executive order and the legal challenge brought by ByteDance.
Source excerpt
TikTok sued the US government Monday, accusing the Trump administration of depriving it of due process when President Trump used his emergency economic powers to issue an executive order that will block the app from operating in the country.
此次诉讼，由TikTok和字节跳动联合提告，诉讼对象包括美国总统特朗普、美国商务部长罗斯和美国商务部。
美国当地时间8月24日，TikTok正式在美国对特朗普政府提起诉讼。
2020
TikTok announces plan to sue over US government order
Lawsuit filed
TikTok announced that it would sue over a US government order concerning TikTok and its parent company ByteDance. ByteDance confirmed that the complaint was to be submitted on August 24, 2020; the reports describe a planned filing, not a completed filing.
Stated objective. To protect TikTok’s rights and ensure the company and its users receive fair treatment.
Source excerpt
为确保法治不被摒弃，确保公司和用户获得公正的对待，我们将通过诉讼维护权益。
总部位于洛杉矶的互联网公司TikTok22日宣布，将就美国政府涉及该公司及其母公司字节跳动的行政令提起诉讼，以维护自身合法权益。
字节跳动证实，诉状将于当地时间8月24日提交，针对的是美国总统特朗普8月6日签署的行政令。
2020
Exposure of Instagram, TikTok and YouTube user data disclosed
Issue disclosure
Comparitech researchers disclosed an unsecured database containing records associated with 235 million Instagram, TikTok and YouTube users. The article says the evidence pointed to Deep Social and that Social Data later closed the database; it does not establish that the platforms caused the exposure.
Company response
Remediation — Social Data
几个小时候后，Social Data关闭了该数据库
Source excerpt
几个小时候后，Social Data关闭了该数据库，并否认自己和Deep Social之间有任何联系。
Comparitech的安全研究小组日前披露了一个不安全的数据库，导致2. 35 亿Instagram、TikTok和YouTube用户的资料泄露到网上
2020
TikTok launches an information hub and communications account amid US scrutiny
Company response
TikTok launched an information hub and a Twitter account to share its statements and updates and to respond to misinformation and rumors about the platform. The company also denied that it would provide TikTok U.S. user data to the Chinese government. The launch came as the platform faced scrutiny in the United States.
Stated objective. To give TikTok a dedicated platform for its collected responses, including responses that may need to be made more quickly.
Company response
Denial — TikTok
It also goes on record to flatly deny that it would ever provide TikTok U.S. user data to the Chinese government.
Source excerpt
On Monday, TikTok launched tiktokus.info, a website that organizes the company’s statements, news coverage, “expert opinions,” FAQs and other resources in a single destination.
TikTok also strongly refers to the growing concerns over U.S. user privacy and security as “rumors and misinformation” that are “proliferating in Washington and in the media.”
TikTok has set up an information hub and Twitter account in an effort to combat misinformation and rumors about its social media platform in real time.
2020
ByteDance clarifies reports about TikTok's proposed U.S. cooperation
Company response
ByteDance issued a clarification addressing rumors about the proposed TikTok cooperation, including claims that ByteDance would lose control of TikTok Global and that Oracle might take possession of TikTok's source code. ByteDance said TikTok Global was wholly owned by ByteDance and that the proposal involved no transfer of algorithms or technology.
Company response
Clarification — 字节跳动
针对三方合作存在的部分传言，现澄清说明如下：
Source excerpt
针对三方合作存在的部分传言，现澄清说明如下：
TikTok Global是字节跳动持股100%的子公司，总部在美国。
传言一、TikTok Global的主要股东为美国投资人，字节跳动会失去TikTok的控制权。