TikTok Class Action: Everything You Need to Know

Ever since the app was launched in 2016, TikTok has been a source of numerous controversies. The latest controversy to strike TikTok, though, is perhaps the most substantial. According to court documents, a proposed $92 million settlement is now pending in the TikTok, Inc., Consumer Privacy Litigation. The lawsuit against TikTok, Inc. alleges that the company has violated state and federal law by improperly collecting and using the personal data of the app’s users. 

While TikTok, Inc. has denied these allegations, the company announced on November 15 that a settlement has been reached and has directed its users to visit the link tiktokdataprivacysettlement.com in order to see if they are eligible for compensation. 

The settlement includes two classes of users who are eligible for compensation: a nationwide class that includes all people who reside in the United States and have used the app prior to September 30, 2021, and an Illinois subclass that includes all people who live in the state of Illinois and have used the app to upload videos prior to September 30, 2021. If you are the parent or legal guardian of minor children who have used the app you may be eligible for compensation under one of these classes as well. 

How large of a share of the $92 million settlements that those eligible for compensation can expect to receive still remains to be seen. As with all class action lawsuits, this figure will ultimately depend on how many eligible claimants sign up for the lawsuit. 

In the few short years since its release, TikTok has demonstrated a shaky approach to data security and privacy. Having been forced to pay $92 million for these transgressions, TikTok now serves as a striking warning of what can happen when a company does not take data privacy as seriously as it should.