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It seems that TikTok’s owner is in hot water again, as the company is now being sued. The lawsuit alleges that ByteDance has been scraping user data without consent, according to The Report. While TikTok is also under the watchful eye of the US government, that app isn’t the center of attention this time around.
The app in question is called CapCut. This is a video editor platform that you can use online, via the mobile app, or on your Windows computer. It heavily uses AI tools to add effects and help you edit your videos.
The lawsuit states that ByteDance takes user data without any form of consent
Nowadays, just about every service that you use collects user data for one reason or another. Most reasons are valid, but the lawsuit alleges that ByteDance’s reasons aren’t. The lawsuit was filed in Illinois. It claims that the company collects information from users like their date of birth, gender, location, photos/videos, face scans, and voiceprints. Also, it claims that the platform is capable of stealing SIM serial numbers and MAC addresses. Bear in mind that these are allegations at this point, so this information hasn’t been completely confirmed yet.
If these allegations are true, not only would it be bad in general, but the company will be in violation of Illinois’ Biometric Information Privacy ACT (BIPA). We’re still in the dark about some of the finer details of this case. So, we don’t know how much the state is asking in damages or what consequences ByteDance will suffer if found guilty.
There could be some ground to this case, as The Record says that the company’s privacy policy makes it hard to understand just what they’re agreeing to. That’s a major problem.
Also, one plaintiff states that, while in the seventh grade, they were able to use the app without needing to sign up, review a privacy policy, or get parental consent. This means that the company did not communicate that it was taking the information.
Why the fear?
The steam driving this case’s engine is the country where ByteDance is headquartered. Let’s just say that the US and China aren’t exactly buddy-buddy right now. Since ByteDance is in China, many believe that it could be compelled to give up information on American citizens to the Chinese government. This is why TikTok is also on thin ice in America. More information on this case will come out as time goes on, so stay tuned.
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