Pennsylvania Attorney General Files Lawsuit Similar to Arkansas’ Against TikTok

Social Media, ,

Earlier this month, Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday announced a lawsuit against social media giant TikTok. Sunday’s lawsuit is similar to a pair of consumer protection lawsuits Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin filed in 2023.

The Pennsylvania lawsuit alleges TikTok lies about how much harmful content appears on its platform — including sexual content, nudity, profanity, and drug use. Pennsylvania argues that underreporting helps the TikTok app maintain a 13+ age rating in app store instead of being rated 17+.

The lawsuit also alleges that the TikTok app is addictive by design, because TikTok profits from ad revenue as users spend more time scrolling on its platform.

“TikTok has built its empire based on a model of addictiveness at all costs, and expanded that empire using deception about what sort of content is viewable for kids,” Attorney General Sunday said in a statement. “This is not an indictment against modern technology, or a scolding assessment of social media as a whole — rather, this is an action to hold accountable a company that values dollars over mental wellness.”

Pennsylvania’s lawsuit against TikTok is very similar to a pair of consumer protection lawsuits Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin filed in 2023.

Attorney General Griffin’s legal complaints call the TikTok app “a Chinese ‘Trojan Horse’ unleashed on unsuspecting American consumers,” and highlight how TikTok fails to protect private user data.

His office argues that TikTok’s algorithm “force-feeds” objectionable content to users — including “illegal drug use, sex, violence, and self-harm.”

The A.G.’s team says that TikTok deceptively labeled its app as being appropriate for ages 13 and up when it really should have been rated 17+.

Attorney General Griffin’s office is still actively pursuing both lawsuits in Arkansas court.

TikTok has an estimated one billion users worldwide — including upwards of 135 million in the U.S. — making it one of the most popular social media platforms on the planet. Its Chinese-based parent company, ByteDance, has been valued at $300 billion.

But a growing body of evidence shows that social media platforms like TikTok may deliberately addict users, promote objectionable content, and put people’s personal information at risk.

Time and again, TikTok has come under fire for failing to protect private user data from entities like the Chinese Communist Party.

The social media giant has also been accused of serving users a steady “diet of darkness” online.

Social media platforms are more than just phone apps or websites. These are multibillion-dollar businesses, and the adults who profit from them need to be held accountable when they harm innocent people — especially teens.

Children deserve proactive protection online. If tech companies won’t protect children, then voters and policymakers must.

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. It’s good to see other state leaders like Attorney General Dave Sunday standing up for kids as well.

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

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Chinese-Backed Temu has Until End of this Week to Respond to A.G. Griffin’s Deceptive Trade Allegations

Technology,

Online retailer Temu has until the end of this week to respond to Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin’s consumer protection lawsuit in Cleburne County Court.

Temu is an online shopping platform similar to Amazon or Walmart.com. In 2023, Temu was reported to be the most widely downloaded app in the U.S., and its multibillion-dollar marketing campaign — which included a Super Bowl ad in 2024 — contributed to its success.

But the Chinese-based tech giant has drawn criticism from security and privacy experts who are concerned that Temu does not value users’ privacy or protect sensitive information.

Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin sued Temu in 2024, alleging Temu uses bargain pricing as a lure so the company can secretly harvest users’ private information. The lawsuit alleges Temu’s phone app is able to access users’ precise locations as well as other installed apps, online accounts, microphones, and cameras. The platform can then funnel that sensitive information to computer servers that are subject to Chinese laws.

The A.G.’s lawsuit also alleges that the Temu app is able to bypass phone security systems, potentially granting Temu access to a user’s private messages.

The Arkansas Attorney General’s office says all of this is unconscionable under the Arkansas Deceptive Trade Practices Act, which carries a penalty of $10,000 per violation.

Temu’s attorneys asked the judge presiding over the case to dismiss the lawsuit, but the judge presiding over the case denied that motion to dismiss and gave Temu’s attorneys until August 28 to respond to Attorney General’s lawsuit.

The attorney general’s lawsuit against Temu is important, because his arguments in the case are very similar to points the A.G.’s team has made in its separate lawsuits against TikTok — another widely popular internet platform owned by a Chinese company.

Family Council is not aware of any attorney general in America who is doing more to hold tech companies accountable than Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin.

As we always say, tech companies are more than just phone apps and websites. These are multibillion-dollar businesses, and the people who operate them have a responsibility to protect the people who use their platforms.

We appreciate Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin’s office for continuing to pursue these cases so seriously in court.

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

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News Report Shows How Legalizing Marijuana Fails to Stop the Black Market

Marijuana

WXYZ-TV News in Detroit reported last week that police raided a gas station accused of selling tobacco and marijuana to minors.

Officers reportedly seized 250 marijuana joints, 17 THC vape pens, several weapons, and nearly $400,000 in cash. The story underscores how legalizing and regulating marijuana fails to stop illegal drug activity.

Nationwide, states like Michigan have legalized marijuana to varying degrees, and federal regulators have eased restrictions on the drug. But while policymakers push for more marijuana, pundits continue to raise concerns about legalization’s unintended consequences.

For example, instead of decreasing crime, marijuana’s legalization has actually emboldened drug cartels and increased the flow of illegal drugs across America.

Authorities in California seized more than 63,000 pounds of illegal marijuana from April to June of this year and made multiple raids at illegal marijuana sites over the summer.

The U.S. Department of Justice has said organized crime from Mexico and China may be making millions of dollars from marijuana grown in states like Maine.

Illegal marijuana operations often are believed to be tied to labor trafficking and violent crime — contributing to what some have called “modern day slavery on American soil.” These grow sites often use illegal pesticides that poison users and pollute the local environment.

Leaders in Arkansas have pointed out that the state sits at the heart of major drug trafficking corridors. As a result, the Arkansas State Police routinely intercept marijuana from other parts of the country that appears to be intended for the black market.

In many cases, it is possible this marijuana was grown legally but then illegally diverted to the black market.

Marijuana’s supporters in Arkansas have argued that legalization could decrease Arkansas’ crime problems, but experience shows that has not been the case in other states.

All of this underscores what we have said for years: Marijuana may be many things, but “harmless” simply is not one of them.

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

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