United States of America: Reached settlement in FTC investigation into Musical.ly (TikTok) concerning the collection of children personal information

On 27 February 2019, the video social networking app Musical.ly (TikTok) agreed to pay a settlement of USD 5.7 million to resolve allegations made by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) that the company unlawfully collected personal information from children. The FTC's complaint, filed by the Department of Justice on behalf of the Commission, accuses Musical.ly of violating the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), which mandates that websites and online services targeting children must obtain parental consent before collecting personal data from children under 13 years old. Alongside the monetary payment, the settlement also requires the app's operators to ensure future compliance with COPPA and remove all videos created by children under 13 from the platform.