TICK TOCK, TIKTOK

Indiana Attorney General Sues TikTok Over Security Concerns and Child Safety Violations

Indiana has become the first state to formally sue the app over security concerns as several Republican governors have raised issues with the app’s China connection.

Indiana’s attorney general has sued TikTok, accusing the app of deceiving users about China’s access to their data and over child safety violations. The lawsuits follow pressure from South Carolina and South Dakota’s Republican governors to ban the social media app on government devices, making Indiana the first state to file a lawsuit against the Chinese-owned app. Todd Rokita, the attorney general, claimed that the app violated state consumer protection laws by failing to mention China’s access to user information. The lawsuit also takes aim at the apps’ sexual and substance-related content in light of its age rating of 12-plus on the Apple store. “TikTok is a wolf in sheep’s clothing,” the attorney general’s office said. TikTok has previously denied sending user information to the Chinese government amid calls from U.S. officials to further regulate the highly popular app. Many other states attorneys general are expected to follow suit with letters to Apple and Google demanding they raise the suggested age to 17-plus.