Senators want an investigation into TikTok's privacy practices after it allegedly broke its promise to delete videos posted by young kids

Get the Full StoryReuters

Four prominent US senators called on the Federal Trade Commission to investigate allegations that TikTok violated its agreement with the agency to do a better job of protecting kids' privacy.

In a letter sent Friday, they cited a report from leading child advocacy groups claiming TikTok failed to take down videos posted by children under 13, as it had promised to do in a 2019 consent decree.

TikTok said it "takes the issue of safety seriously for all our users" and that it continues to introduce new features on the app to protect kids' privacy.

The letter was signed by Republican Senators Josh Hawley and Marsha Blackburn and Democratic Senators Ed Markey and Richard Blumenthal.

TikTok, a subsidiary of Chinese company ByteDance, has come under fire before from Hawley and other China hawks who worry its ties to Beijing could pose a threat to national security and free speech.

Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Four U.S. senators, including a China hawk, urged the Federal Trade Commission on Friday to investigate allegations that the popular video app TikTok violated a consent decree protecting children's privacy.

In their letter, lawmakers noted a report by the Center for Digital Democracy, Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood and others saying that Chinese-owned TikTok had failed to take down videos made by children under age 13 as it agreed under a 2019 consent agreement with the FTC.See the rest of the story at Business InsiderSee Also:The first video uploaded to YouTube, 15 years ago, shows one of the cofounders at the zoo watch the clip hereThe best deals to expect during Amazon Prime Day 2020This map shows the highest-paying job in every state we should've been doctors

Share: