Arkansas A.G. Appeals to Shield Kids Online

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Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin will ask the Eighth Circuit to let the state protect children on social media, according to court documents.

In 2023 the Arkansas Legislature passed the Social Media Safety Act. This good law by Sen. Tyler Dees (R – Siloam Springs) and Rep. Jon Eubanks (R – Paris) requires major social media companies to ensure minors don’t access social media platforms without parental consent. A social media company that violated the law could be held liable.

In response, tech giants — such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok — asked a federal court to strike down the Social Media Safety Act as unconstitutional.

In March U.S. District Judge Timothy Brooks in Fayetteville issued a final order blocking the State of Arkansas from enforcing the Social Media Safety Act. Among other things, Judge Brooks’ ruling claims that Arkansas’ Social Media Safety Act is unconstitutionally broad and vague.

On May 2, Attorney General Tim Griffin appealed Judge Brooks’ ruling to the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals. Appealing the decision will give a higher federal court the opportunity to review the case and reverse the judge’s order.

The truth is there’s mounting evidence that — by design — social media platforms are not appropriate for children.

TikTok has long been under fire for serving kids a steady “diet of darkness” online and struggling to protect private user data from entities in China, such as the Chinese Communist Party.

The A.G.’s legal team has filed documents in other court cases alleging that platforms like Facebook and Instagram are built around algorithms intentionally designed “to exploit human psychology and foster addiction to maximize users’ screen time,” and that this exploitation is especially true of young users with developing brains.

Social media platforms are more than just websites or phone apps. These are multimillion dollar businesses. The adults who own and profit from these companies have a responsibility to protect children on their platforms — and they should not be able to register children as users and let those children post photos and videos on their platforms without parental consent.

Family Council is not aware of any attorney general in America who is doing more to hold social media giants accountable and protect children online than Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin. We appreciate his willingness to appeal to the Eighth Circuit, and we are confident our federal courts ultimately will let Arkansas protect children on social media.

Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.

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TikTok Fined $600M for Failing to Protect User Data from China

Social Media,

The Wall Street Journal reports TikTok has been fined $600 million in Ireland over risks of Chinese surveillance.

With upwards of a billion users worldwide — including somewhere between 135 and 170 million in the U.S. — TikTok is among the most popular social media outlets on earth.

But TikTok isn’t just a phone app. It’s a major corporation, and its Chinese-based parent company, ByteDance, has been valued at $300 billion.

However, TikTok has found itself embroiled in controversy for struggling to protect private user data from entities in China — including the Chinese Communist Party. The platform has been accused of serving users a steady “diet of darkness” online. TikTok also has been sued for allegedly violating U.S. laws intended to protect children.

Now The Wall Street Journal reports,

The Irish Data Protection Commission said Friday that TikTok had failed to demonstrate that any user data it sends to China would be protected from government access under Chinese laws covering things such as espionage and cybersecurity. 

The Irish regulator, which leads enforcement of the European Union’s privacy law for TikTok, ordered the social-video app to stop transferring user data to China within six months if it can’t guarantee the same level of protection as in the EU.

The watchdog also said TikTok last month admitted to storing limited European user data in China, despite having previously denied doing so. TikTok told the watchdog it has since deleted that data. The regulator said Friday it is discussing with EU counterparts whether it should take further action against the company over the matter. 

TikTok said it would appeal the fine, which totaled 530 million euros. The company contests the allegation that it isn’t giving European data enough protection, and says the decision primarily covers a period before it implemented new protections. TikTok added that it has never turned over user data to the Chinese government or received a request to do so.

It’s important to remember that in 2023, Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin filed two lawsuits against TikTok and its parent company ByteDance.

The A.G.’s lawsuits allege that TikTok and ByteDance failed to fully disclose that the company is subject to Chinese laws that mandate cooperation with intelligence activities of the People’s Republic of China and that TikTok aggressively collects sensitive user data.

As we keep saying, social media platforms are not just websites or phone apps. These are multimillion dollar businesses owned and operated by investors and other interests. If the Chinese Communist Party can influence TikTok, the CCP may be able to manipulate content, influence users, and harvest data on one of the world’s largest social media platform. That’s a serious concern.

Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.

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U.S. Supreme Court Hears Arguments Over TikTok Lawsuit

Social Media,

On Friday the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments in the lawsuit over whether the U.S. can ban social media platform TikTok if its owner fails to sever ties with China.

With upwards of a billion users worldwide — including somewhere between 135 and 170 million in the U.S. — TikTok is among the most popular social media outlets on earth.

TikTok isn’t just a video-sharing app. It’s a major corporation. Its Chinese-based parent company, ByteDance, has been valued at $300 billion.

However, TikTok has found itself embroiled in controversy for struggling to protect private user data from entities in China — including the Chinese Communist Party. The platform has been accused of serving users a steady “diet of darkness” online. TikTok also has been sued for allegedly violating U.S. laws intended to protect children.

In April, President Biden signed a bipartisan piece of legislation requiring TikTok to cut ties with China by January 19. If it fails to do so, the law would ban TikTok in the United States.

Instead of severing ties with China, TikTok sued the federal government. That lawsuit has made its way to the U.S. Supreme Court, who heard arguments in the case on Friday.

The Wall Street Journal writes,

TikTok’s lawyer, Noel Francisco, told the court that the law threatens to silence a popular and important platform, a violation of its First Amendment rights. . . .

In early questioning from the court, most justices voiced doubts about TikTok’s arguments, viewing the law not as a restriction on free speech but instead as targeting the platform’s ownership by Beijing-based ByteDance. . . .

Chief Justice John Roberts said the court couldn’t ignore congressional concerns that Beijing could use TikTok to spread propaganda and stockpile sensitive user data on Americans. . . .

Justice Elena Kagan said the law “is only targeted at this foreign corporation, which doesn’t have First Amendment rights.” . . . .

The Supreme Court agreed to hear TikTok’s appeal on an expedited schedule, meaning the justices could rule in time to spare the app—or seal its doom—before the Jan. 19 deadline. 

In December, Family Council joined three dozen other leaders and organizations in an amicus brief filed with the U.S. Supreme Court in this case.

The amicus brief argues that the Chinese Communist Party does not respect free speech in China or in America, and that the First Amendment should not give foreign adversaries like the CCP an open door to influence tens of millions of Americans.

As we keep saying, social media is more than just websites or phone apps. These are multibillion dollar businesses with tremendous influence.

As Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin has pointed out, TikTok’s owners are subject to Chinese laws that mandate secret cooperation with intelligence activities of the People’s Republic of China.

If the Chinese Communist Party can control TikTok, the CCP may be able to manipulate users or harvest sensitive data on one of the world’s largest social media platforms. That ought to concern all of us.

Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.

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