TikTok’s owner broke fed, state privacy laws with consumer video tool, lawsuit alleges

ByteDance faces a proposed class action for privacy practices in the U.S. that allegedly violate federal and state laws.

According to court documents (case 1:23-cv-04953), ByteDance has collected personal data using CapCut since the app’s 2020 U.S. debut. The app helps in making and posting videos.

The laws cited include the federal Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, California’s Comprehensive Data Access and Fraud Act and Illinois’ Biometric Information Privacy Act. The plaintiffs also claim ByteDance has violated California’s constitutional right of privacy.

China-based social media company ByteDance is accused in federal district court in the northern district of Illinois of illegally collecting subscribers’ personally identifiable information through its CapCut app.

Data harvesting, storage and dissemination through CapCut continues, according to the plaintiffs, Evelia Rodriguez, Erikka Wilson and an unnamed child.

The suit states that CapCut has grown very popular, with 400 million downloads around the world in 2022. It reportedly has 200 million monthly active users.

The even more popular TikTok has already settled a biometric data privacy suit in the U.S. for $92 million.

Article Topics

biometric identifiers  |  Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA)  |  biometrics  |  data privacy  |  lawsuits  |  TikTok