US probing allegations TikTok failed to protect children's privacy: Report

TikTok failed to delete videos and personal information about users age 13 and younger as it had agreed to do, according to US agencies.

The Federal Trade Commission and the U.S. Justice Department are looking into allegations that popular app TikTok failed to live up to a 2019 agreement aimed at protecting children's privacy, according to two people interviewed by the agencies.
A staffer in a Massachusetts tech policy group and another source said they took part in separate conference calls with FTC and Justice Department officials to discuss accusations the China-based short video sharing app had failed to live up to an agreement announced in February 2019.

The Center for Digital Democracy, Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood and others in May asked the FTC look into their allegations TikTok failed to delete videos and personal information about users age 13 and younger as it had agreed to do, among other violations.

Reuters could not determine whether any action would be taken against TikTok by either of the two agencies.

A TikTok spokesman said they take "safety seriously for all our users," adding that in the United States they "accommodate users under 13 in a limited app experience that introduces additional safety and privacy protections designed specifically for a younger audience."

Officials from both the FTC, which reached the original consent agreement with TikTok, and Justice Department, which often files court documents for the FTC, met via video with representatives of the groups to discuss the matter, said David Monahan, a campaign manager with the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood.

"I got the sense from our conversation that they are looking into the assertions that we raised in our complaint," Monahan said.

Fake websites to emails, fraudsters see opportunities in Covid-19 crisis

Fraudsters see opportunities in these uncertain times.

Never have we been so attractive as targets for fraudsters and scammers as we are right now. That’s because the uncertainty around the coronavirus pandemic has created more opportunities for robocallers, hackers and other thieves.

For one thing, millions of people are filing new claims for unemployment benefits and awaiting stimulus checks. So when a phone call or an email from someone purporting to be a bank or a government official comes in, it is tougher for us to ignore. Plus with so many people being required to work from home, our personal tech devices have become an attractive target for those looking to infiltrate businesses.

While there is little data about the extent of such shadowy activities, security experts said they had seen an increase in scams invading our inboxes, phones and websites. Last month, the Federal Trade Commission issued a warning, advising people to not respond to digital communications from those claiming to have information about checks from the government, among other schemes. “It’s a Pandora’s box of opportunities that they can leverage,” said Sam Espinosa, an executive at Next Caller, which develops technology to detect fraudulent calls. “The first time you’re dealing with unemployment may not be the time you’re thinking, ‘This is a fraudster.’”

In a survey by Next Caller last week, 37 per cent of the respondents said they believed they had been targeted by fraud and scams related to the coronavirus, up from 32 per cent last month. In addition, 44 per cent said they felt more vulnerable to fraud now that their businesses were allowing them to work from home. I talked to security experts about some of the most prominent scams and ways we can protect ourselves. Here’s a guide of what not to fall for.