The case overview

The Federal Trade Commission’s landmark settlement with Musical.ly (now TikTok) exposed a systematic pattern of privacy violations targeting children. On February 27, 2019, the platform was held accountable for its data collection practices, culminating in a $5.7 million settlement that would reshape how social media platforms interact with young users.

Key violations

Musical.ly disregarded children’s privacy protections under the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). The platform collected personal information from children under 13 without parental consent, created public profiles by default, and enabled direct messaging and location tracking for underage users. The app’s design deliberately blurred the lines between playful content creation and invasive data harvesting.

Official case documents

The $5.7 million penalty represented more than just a financial punishment. It was a critical message to the tech industry about the unacceptability of treating children as data commodities. The settlement mandated comprehensive privacy reforms, forcing the platform to implement robust age verification and consent mechanisms.

Platform mechanics

The case revealed the intricate data collection strategies employed by Musical.ly. The platform’s design integrated sophisticated tracking technologies that captured user data across multiple touchpoints, transforming seemingly innocent video-sharing features into comprehensive data gathering mechanisms.

Broader context

This case highlighted the digital ecosystem’s predatory nature, where social media platforms prioritize engagement and data collection over user protection. Musical.ly’s practices exposed how easily children can be transformed from users into monetizable data points, with their personal information tracked, analyzed, and potentially exploited.