The State of Arkansas is pressing forward with its legal challenges against social media giant TikTok.
With an estimated one billion users worldwide and 135 million in the U.S., TikTok is considered by some to be the most popular social media platform in the world. However, last year Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin filed two lawsuits accusing TikTok and its parent company ByteDance of violating Arkansas’ Deceptive Trade Practices Act.
One of the lawsuits — filed in Union County — alleges that TikTok failed to fully disclose that TikTok is subject to Chinese law — including laws that mandate cooperation with intelligence activities of the People’s Republic of China.
In an amended complaint filed in Union County on July 18, the Arkansas Attorney General’s Office argued,
Tik Tok also downplays its connection to China by dismissing Chinese Communist Party presence and influence within ByteDance as unimportant or irrelevant. . . . TikTok’s efforts to downplay its connection to China are designed to, and have the effect of, conveying to Arkansas consumers that the risk of their data being accessed and exploited by Chinese authorities is minimal to nonexistent. . . . The Chinese Government and Communist Party exercise and have exercised legal and political authority over ByteDance. Chinese authorities even forced the company to alter certain business practices and close one business altogether. . . . [TikTok and ByteDance] knowingly deceived Arkansas consumers, and continue to do so, because Chinese law reaches their data in all the ways described in this Complaint and because their data is at risk of access and exploitation by Chinese government or Communist Party.
Social media platforms aren’t just websites or phone apps. These are multimillion dollar businesses owned and operated by investors and other interests.
As we have said before, there’s mounting evidence that platforms like TikTok put people’s personal information at risk and are actually designed to push objectionable content to users.
With that in mind, it’s good to see the A.G.’s office taking action to fight back against these businesses and protect Arkansans online.
Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.
