Indiana's attorney general filed a lawsuit against the Chinese-owned short-form video app TikTok on Wednesday, claiming that it deceives its users - especially the younger demographic - about the amount of sensitive content and the security of the app's user data, reported first by AP.
Although the popular platform claims to be safe for users 13 years of age and older, Republican Attorney General Todd Rokita alleged in a complaint the app is allowing young users to view inappropriate content for indefinite periods of time.
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A teenager presents a smartphone with the logo of Chinese social network Tik Tok, on January 21, 2021 in Nantes, western France.
"Misleads Users"
In an additional complaint, Rokita claims that the app has access to users' sensitive and private information but it misleads users into thinking that information is protected.
ByteDance, a Chinese business that relocated its headquarters to Singapore in 2020, is the owner of TikTok. It has since drawn the ire of Republicans alleging that the Chinese government is using the app to gain access to sensitive user data.
The app is even prohibited on military devices, particularly for the US armed forces.
According to a report released in October 2020 by the Global Witness and the Cybersecurity for Democracy team at New York University, the app has had difficulties identifying advertisements that openly misrepresent the results of US elections and other pressing issues.
Maryland Governor Larry Hogan recently prohibited the use of TikTok, including several Russia and China-based sites in the executive branch, alleging cybersecurity threats posed by the sites.
TikTok-US Deal
Negotiations between TikTok and the US government have reportedly been delayed because of ongoing worries about the potential threats the app could pose to national security.
The government is worried about how TikTok might divulge information on its video recommendation system, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal, which cited unnamed sources.
TikTok said that it is still awaiting word from the authorities regarding any fresh information for the negotiations.
In a statement, a spokesperson for TikTok said that they are confident and on the right track to properly address all US national security concerns and that significant progress has already been made in putting those solutions into practice.
TikTok and the US government inked comprehensive contracts governing the transfer of user data from TikTok's data centers in Singapore and Virginia to Oracle's servers in the US.
According to reports, Oracle would also be in charge of enforcing rules surrounding which TikTok employees might access data belonging to users in the US.
Republicans are expected to use their newly acquired authority to look into the app's purported connections to China once they assume control of the House of Representatives next year.
Related Article: BEWARE: TikTok Malware Claiming to 'Unfilter' Explicit 'Invisible Challenge' Actually Steals Credentials, Info
