Current:Home > MyIndiana judge dismisses state’s lawsuit against TikTok that alleged child safety, privacy concerns-LoTradeCoin
Indiana judge dismisses state’s lawsuit against TikTok that alleged child safety, privacy concerns
View Date:2024-12-23 22:36:28
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — An Indiana county judge on Wednesday dismissed a lawsuit filed by the state accusing TikTok of deceiving its users about the level of inappropriate content for children on its platform and the security of its consumers’ personal information.
A pair of lawsuits filed in December 2022 accused the app of misleading its viewers — particularly children — alleging the app contains “salacious and inappropriate content” despite the company claiming it is safe for children 13 years and under. In the second complaint, the state argued that the app deceives consumers into believing their sensitive and personal information is secure. The lawsuits have since been consolidated. The latest hearing on the motion to dismiss was held in October.
Judge Jennifer L. DeGroote of the Allen County Superior Court in Fort Wayne made the ruling.
The dismissal is an apparent national first with similar lawsuits pending in Arkansas and Utah.
In a written statement, a spokesperson for Attorney General Todd Rokita said the office is “considering appellate options at this time.”
There were previous signs of skepticism from courts about the Republican attorney general’s arguments.
In May, an Indiana county judge ruled that downloading the free app does not equate to a consumer transaction under state law, dealing a blow to Rokita, who has cast himself as an enemy of social media giants including Meta.
Allen County Superior Court Judge Craig Bobay also ruled at that time that state courts do not have authority over TikTok’s statements to Apple’s app store as both companies are based in California. He added that no aspect of the “age rating process” takes place in Indiana.
A federal judge later rejected TikTok’s request to move the lawsuit to federal court, but also described the attorney general’s lawsuit as largely “ political posturing ” in a ruling.
TikTok is owned by ByteDance, a Chinese company that moved its headquarters to Singapore in 2020. The app has been a target of state and federal lawmakers over the past year who say the Chinese government could access its users’ data.
Indiana is among several states and the federal government that have ordered the TikTok app deleted from government-issued devices. Montana became the first state in the U.S. to pass a complete ban on the app in May, set to go into effect Jan. 1.
Indiana joined dozens of U.S. states that sued Facebook parent Meta Platforms Inc. in October, saying collects data on children under the age of 13 without their parents’ consent. According to newly unsealed documents, Meta deliberately engineered its social platforms to addict children and never disclosed it received millions of complaints about underage users on Instagram. It only disabled a fraction of those accounts.
veryGood! (69225)
Related
- USMNT Concacaf Nations League quarterfinal Leg 1 vs. Jamaica: Live stream and TV, rosters
- US House control teeters on the unlikely battleground of heavily Democratic California
- Winter in October? Snow recorded on New Hampshire's Mount Washington
- Trump insults Detroit while campaigning in the city
- Messi breaks silence on Inter Miami's playoff exit. What's next for his time in the US?
- Authorities continue to investigate container suspected of holding dynamite in Tennessee
- How important is the Port of Tampa Bay? What to know as Hurricane Milton recovery beings
- Florida power outage map: 2.2 million in the dark as Milton enters Atlantic
- Gavin Rossdale Makes Rare Public Appearance With Girlfriend Xhoana Xheneti
- DirecTV has a new free streaming service coming. Here's what we know
Ranking
- Wildfires burn from coast-to-coast; red flag warnings issued for Northeast
- Taylor Swift donates $5 million toward hurricane relief efforts
- Rihanna Reveals What Her Signature Scent Really Is
- Man is charged with hate crime for vandalizing Islamic center at Rutgers University
- 'We suffered great damage': Fierce California wildfire burns homes, businesses
- Donald Trump’s Daughter Tiffany Trump Is Pregnant, Expecting First Baby With Michael Boulos
- Best-selling author Brendan DuBois indicted on child sex abuse images charges
- The drownings of 2 Navy SEALs were preventable, military investigation finds
Recommendation
-
More human remains from Philadelphia’s 1985 MOVE bombing have been found at a museum
-
Video shows Florida man jogging through wind and rain as Hurricane Milton washes ashore
-
Bestselling author Brendan DuBois indicted for possession of child sexual abuse materials
-
Video shows Florida man jogging through wind and rain as Hurricane Milton washes ashore
-
Democrat George Whitesides wins election to US House, beating incumbent Mike Garcia
-
Bachelor Nation's Joey Graziadei Shares How Fiancée Kelsey Anderson Keeps Him Grounded During DWTS
-
One Tech Tip: Here’s what you need to do before and after your phone is stolen or lost
-
Disney World and other Orlando parks to reopen Friday after Hurricane Milton shutdown