Indiana sues social media app 'TikTok' over data security, inappropriate content

Tags: International News

Indiana's attorney general on 7 December sued Chinese-owned social media app TikTok, claiming it misled its users, particularly children, about the level of inappropriate content and security of consumer information.

Important facts

• Indiana's attorney general Todd Rokita has accused TikTok's parent company ByteDance of violating the state's consumer protections laws. 

• Indiana is a US state in the Midwestern United States.

• Two lawsuits have been filed in the US on Tiktok. The first lawsuit claimed the app provided inappropriate content to young users.

• The second complaint alleges that TikTok does not disclose the Chinese government's ability to access sensitive consumer information.

• The announcement of the lawsuits comes after other US states drafted legislation to ban TikTok.

• Meanwhile, Texas, South Dakota and South Carolina have banned the use of TikTok from being used on state government equipment.

About TikTok

• This is owned by ByteDance, a Chinese company that moved its headquarters to Singapore in 2020. 

• The app has been targeted by Republicans who say the Chinese government could access its user data like browsing history and location.

• US armed forces also have prohibited the app on military devices.

• Tiktok has been banned in India too in 2021.