TikTok to pay $92M to settle lawsuit over data privacy

TikTok collected private and biometric data from users, the lawsuit alleges.

Corinne Reichert Senior Writer

Corinne Reichert (she/her) grew up in Sydney, Australia and moved to California in 2019. She holds degrees in law and communications, and currently oversees the CNET breaking news desk for the West Coast. Corinne covers everything from phones, social media and security to movies, politics, 5G and pop culture. In her spare time, she watches soccer games, F1 races and Disney movies.

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Corinne Reichert

Feb. 25, 2021 5:02 p.m. PT

TikTok has agreed to settle a lawsuit alleging that the app captured biometric and private data from users in the US. Several law firms reached a settlement with the social media app on Thursday, with TikTok agreeing to pay $92 million.

The lawsuit also alleges that TikTok passed private user data on to third parties. The settlement would require the company to "initiate a new privacy compliance training program," the law firms said in a joint press release.

"While we disagree with the assertions, rather than go through lengthy litigation, we'd like to focus our efforts on building a safe and joyful experience for the TikTok community," a TikTok spokesperson told CNET in a statement.

The $92 million will be used to compensate TikTok users. The settlement still needs to be approved by a court.

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