The investigation is the latest battle in Washington for the social media company, which is already fighting against a federal bill that could ban the platform in the U.S. if it doesn’t break ties with its Beijing-based parent company, ByteDance.
In its investigation, the FTC has been looking into whether TikTok violated a portion of federal law that prohibits “unfair and deceptive” business practices by denying that individuals in China had access to U.S. user data, said the person, who is not authorized to discuss the investigation.
The agency also is scrutinizing the company over potential violations of the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, which requires kid-oriented apps and websites to get parents’ consent before collecting personal information of children under 13.
FTC spokesperson Nicole Drayton and TikTok declined to comment on the investigation, which was first reported by Politico.
The agency is nearing the conclusion of its investigation and could settle with TikTok in the coming weeks. But there’s not a deadline for an agreement, the person said.
If the FTC moves forward with a lawsuit instead, it would have to refer the case to the Justice Department, which would have 45 days to decide whether it wants to file a case on the FTC’s behalf, make changes or send it back to the agency to pursue on its own.
The news comes nearly two years after Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Mark Warner and Marco Rubio, the top Republican on the committee, urged FTC chair Lina Khan to investigate TikTok, citing a report from Buzzfeed News that said ByteDance employees in China have repeatedly accessed data on U.S. TikTok users.
This story is from the March 29, 2024 edition of AppleMagazine.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the March 29, 2024 edition of AppleMagazine.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
SENATORS URGE $32 BILLION IN EMERGENCY SPENDING ON AI AFTER FINISHING YEARLONG REVIEW
A bipartisan group of four senators led by Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is recommending that Congress spend at least $32 billion over the next three years to develop artificial intelligence and place safeguards around it, writing in a new report released Wednesday that the U.S. needs to “harness the opportunities and address the risks” of the quickly developing technology.
THE FIVE THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW BEFORE BUYING YOUR FIRST USED TESLA
It's a good time to be in the market for a used Tesla. Tesla's significant price cuts over the past year on its new cars have caused the prices of used Teslas to drop significantly.
WAYMO IS LATEST COMPANY UNDER INVESTIGATION FOR AUTONOMOUS OR PARTIALLY AUTOMATED TECHNOLOGY
The U.S. government’s highway safety agency has opened another investigation of automated driving systems, this time into crashes involving Waymo’s self-driving vehicles.
YOUNG SOUTH KOREANS ARE INCREASINGLY DRAWN TO BUDDHISM VIA SOCIAL MEDIA-SAVVY INFLUENCERS
A South Korean deejay dressed as a Buddhist monk bounced up and down on stage while playing electronic music and shouting: \"This too shall pass!\"
ROKU WILL STREAM WEEKLY MLB GAME ON SUNDAYS.VIEWERS WON'T NEED ONE OF THE SERVICE'S DEVICES
Roku will carry Major League Baseball games on Sundays beginning this week, and viewers will be able to watch for free and not be required to use a Roku device, the streaming service announced Monday.
WILL AI REPLACE DOCTORS WHO READ X-RAYS, OR JUST MAKE THEM BETTER THAN EVER?
How good would an algorithm have to be to take over your job?
GM'S CRUISE TO START TESTING ROBOTAXIS IN PHOENIX AREA WITH HUMAN SAFETY DRIVERS ON BOARD
General Motors’ troubled Cruise autonomous vehicle unit said it will start testing robotaxis in Arizona this week with human safety drivers on board.
GOOGLE UNLEASHES AI IN SEARCH, RAISING HOPES FOR BETTER RESULTS AND FEARS ABOUT LESS WEB TRAFFIC
Google this week rolled out a retooled search engine that will frequently favor responses crafted by artificial intelligence over website links, a shift promising to quicken the quest for information while also potentially disrupting the flow of money-making internet traffic.
SMALL, WELL-BUILT CHINESE EV CALLED THE SEAGULL POSES A BIG THREAT TO THE US AUTO INDUSTRY
A tiny, low-priced electric car called the Seagull has American automakers and politicians trembling.
INTEL EXEC ON BRINGING ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE INTO THE WORKPLACE
Artificial intelligence is just about everywhere you look these days — including the workplace.
