Sources have revealed that “the lawsuit alleges Byte parent company TikTok improperly collected and used plaintiff’s data,” which now puts them in the hot spot for mishandling this sensitive information. The company vehemently denies these charges.
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As it stands right now, any citizen residing in the United States that has used the app as of October 1, 2021, is eligible to collect a portion of the funds claimed within this class action suit. In fact, parents that have underage children who have also accessed this app are able to qualify their children for this payback as well.
This controversy ignited when it was revealed that sensitive data was stored without user consent, and that was enough to cause a huge uproar among users of the trusted app.
When loyal TikTok users signed up to use the app, they were not aware that their personal data would be stored or shared in any capacity. There was no mention of this during the sign-up process, and consent was not given.
As it turns out, there was a significant breach that is rocking the executives behind TikTok, and they want to make it right. News outlets report that; “The settlement is the result of an amalgamation of 21 lawsuits, many of which were filed on behalf of minors,” and reveals that the U.S. District Court in Illinois alleges that TikTok uses technology that can recognize facial features of people in their videos, and analyzes their faces to “determine the user’s age, race/ethnicity, and gender… to recommend content and profiles for the user to follow.”
Given the fact that users were not made aware that their identity and personal information would be used in this manner and weren’t given an opportunity to ‘opt out’ of this experience, they’re now entitled to a payout from this class action lawsuit.
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Before anyone gets too excited, there are a lot of details to evaluate and keep in mind with respect to this matter. TikTok has agreed they will not continue using biometric data, and for all those affected to date, they stand to bank a few bucks for their inconvenience.
It has been stated that residents of the United States that have used TikTok before October 1 are eligible to submit claims, and it has been made clear that residents of Illinois are eligible for a larger share of the settlement pool.
Like any other form of ‘forced repayment,’ the responsibility falls on the heads of those affected to make a move by declaring their concern about this matter.
If nobody speaks out about the injustice they faced, and the new, genuine relationship that has presented itself to the public remains the example for review, this case will result in millions worth of expenses.
The deadline for submission of documents and joining the class action suit is March 1, 2022.
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Sources: NBC News, AL
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