DOJ claims TikTok gathered data on users’ opinions on topics such as abortion, gun control, and religion
On Friday night, the Department of Justice urged a federal court to dismiss TikTok’s request to overturn a law that could potentially ban the app, citing national security worries over its alleged use of internal search tools to gather data on users’ opinions on sensitive issues. This response comes after TikTok filed a petition in May to contest the law, which mandates its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, to sell the app or face a ban in the US. The legislation was signed by President Biden in April.
In one of the documents filed with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, the DOJ says that Larkin, a search tool for web software used by the company to communicate with employees, “allowed ByteDance and TikTok employees in the U.S. and China to collectively collect user data based on user content or expressions, including views on gun control, about abortion and religion.” The DOJ also claims that TikTok could be used to manipulate the content of US users and that their sensitive information could end up on Chinese servers.
TikTok has repeatedly denied accusations that it threatens national security, calling companies that ban it “unconstitutional.” In its latest statement in response to the DOJ’s filing, which was sent to X, TikTok said, “Nothing in this summary changes the fact that the Constitution is on our side.”
