TikTok Faces Class Action Suit in Berlin Over Data Privacy Concerns
Consumer Compensation Class Action Filed Against TikTok - TikTok to offer financial reimbursement to its users
Ditch the Drama, Let's Break it Down:
Consumer advocates in the Netherlands have taken TikTok to task, filing a class action lawsuit against the popular video platform. The lawsuit, lodged with the Kammergericht Berlin, alleges data privacy violations by TikTok's parent company, ByteDance. German consumers can easily join the lawsuit through a simple online process.
The same consumer foundation, Stichting Onderzoek Marktinformatie (Somi), filed a similar lawsuit against Elon Musk's X platform in Berlin earlier this year.
What's the Whole Hullabaloo?
Somi accuses TikTok of illegally gathering and analyzing "super personal" data and creating behavioral and personality profiles for advertising purposes. The service's algorithm allegedly manipulates and hooks users, particularly young people and children, into continued use.
TikTok has yet to issue a response concerning the allegations.
Join the Party, Get Your Cut:
To take part in the class action, affected consumers can register on the lawsuit registry at the Federal Office of Justice. In the event of a successful lawsuit, participants will receive their entitled compensation as part of the class action, without needing to file individual claims.
The Dutch are Pissed:
Somi is demanding compensation for registered TikTok users in their lawsuit. The amount of compensation depends on the user's age at the time of the lawsuit's filing:- Under 16: €2,000- Between 16 and 21: €1,000- Over 21: €500
Get Ready to Register:
Although the class action lawsuit by Somi has yet to be publicly announced in the class action registry on the Federal Office of Justice's (BfJ) website, it's expected to be announced soon. Consumers and small businesses can then register their claims on the BfJ website at www.bundesjustizamt.de/verbandsklagen. The Federal Office advises using the electronic registration option, as it allows for quick and easy submission. Claims can be registered up to three weeks following the conclusion of the oral hearing.
Tech, Law, and International Relations:- Plaintiff: Somi (Netherlands)- Defendant: ByteDance Ltd. (China)- Location: Berlin, Germany- Class Action Lawsuit- Data Privacy- Video Platform- Germany- Collective Legal Action- Federal Office of Justice
Additional Insights:- This class action lawsuit is not exclusively limited to Germany, as Somi actively pursues collective legal actions against tech companies worldwide, focusing on data privacy concerns.- ByteDance Ltd., the parent company of TikTok, is heavily invested in AI and machine learning, which plays a significant role in the content generation, recommendation, and personalization process on its platform.- The allegations raised in the class action lawsuit also highlight the importance of user privacy and data security in the tech industry and the potential impact when these aspects are overlooked or mishandled.
In the context of the class action suit against TikTok's parent company, ByteDance, for data privacy concerns, it's worth noting that similar legal actions have been taken by the Dutch foundation, Stichting Onderzoek Marktinformatie (Somi), on lifestyle and technology matters. The foundation accuses TikTok of gathering and analyzing "super personal" data, creating behavioral and personality profiles for advertising purposes, which supposedly violates the EC countries' principles of free movement of workers, freedom to provide services, and the freedom to provide services within the digital economy. If successful, German consumers and others affected by the alleged data privacy violations could potentially receive compensation, further emphasizing the importance of user privacy and data security in the tech industry.
