The Federal Trade Commission said it has “uncovered reason to believe” that TikTok and its Chinese parent company ByteDance “are violating or are about to violate the law” in a complaint referred to the US justice department for further action.
The FTC first began investigating TikTok over a possible violation of a law governing the online privacy of children several years ago. It said on Tuesday that it had also begun investigating potential breaches of the FTC Act, which outlaws “unfair or deceptive acts or practices” by businesses.
“Our investigation found reason to believe that TikTok is violating or about to violate the FTC Act and the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act,” FTC chair Lina Khan wrote on X.