US Govt Lawyers Accuse TikTok of Data Collection: Detailed Report

TikTok has the capability to collect bulk information on users and American data

US Govt Lawyers Accuse TikTok of Data Collection: The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) is accusing TikTok, that it has the capability to collect bulk information on users and American data on sensitive content and censored topics like gun control, abortion, and religion.

On Friday, Government lawyers filed a document that stated to the federal appeals court that they demanded whether TikTok should be sold by mid-January 2025 or whether the U.S. will ban TikTok.

The Chinese app TikTok, which is a Beijing parent-based company, uses an internal web system called Lark, which allows TikTok employees to communicate directly with ByteDance engineers in China and, in this way, gather information.

Also Read: Meet Swapnil Kusale: Shooting Star at Paris Olympics 2024

The types of information they gather include views on sensitive topics, such as abortion or religion.

According to last year's reports in the Wall Street Journal, TicTok had tracked those users who have watched LGBTQ content through a dashboard, which the company claims to have since deleted.

Lawmakers and administration officials passed a measure with the support of the bipartisan cause of the concerns that Chinese authorities could make ByteDance hand over U.S. user data or prevail on public opinion in favour of Beijing by manipulating the algorithm.

Casey Blackburn, a senior U.S. intelligence official wrote, “Intelligence reporting further demonstrates that ByteDance and TikTok Global have taken action in response to (Chinese government) demands to censor content outside of China.” in a filing that supported the government's arguments.

Also Read: Woman Chained to Tree in Maharashtra Forest: US Passport Photocopy Found

“By directing ByteDance or TikTok to covertly manipulate that algorithm, China could for example further its existing malign influence operations and amplify its efforts to undermine trust in our democracy and exacerbate social divisions,” the brief states.

Federal officials are demanding a legal brief from the court, which are not accessible for two companies.

Nothing in the deleted brief “changes the fact that the Constitution is on our side," TikTok spokesperson Alex Haurek said in a statement.

“The TikTok ban would silence 170 million Americans’ voices, violating the 1st Amendment,” Haurek said. "As we’ve said before, the government has never put forth proof of its claims, including when Congress passed this unconstitutional law. Today, once again, the government is taking this unprecedented step while hiding behind secret information. We remain confident we will prevail in court.”

The company operate an app called Douying, which follows the strict censorship rules of Beijing, where several policies are applied to ByteDance users in China.

According to Justice Department officials, some of the policies have been applied to TikTok users outside of China. Since around 2022, TikTok has been investigating the information about the existence of these policies, which may have ever been used in the U.S.

Justice Department officials said that China is weaponizing technology against US national security. Companies under Beijing’s control are demanded to hand over sensitive data of the country to the U.S. government.

Also Read: Tragic Landslides in Wayanad, Kerala: At Least 5 Dead and Several Feared Trapped