Judgement on TikTok Settlement Stalled Over Lawyers’ Fees

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Tiktok Privacy Settlement Overview:

• Who: TikTok users and their parents are trying to reach a settlement with the company
• Why: They allege that the app collected and shared the data of minors without consent
• Where: The group is nationwide in the U.S.

Parents and young TikTok users are still facing delays in the $1.1 million settlement of a class action lawsuit with the video sharing giant over data sharing, with a federal judge saying he wanted to see more information about lawyers’ fees.

Under the proposed settlement, counsel would receive $200,000 in fees, but more than half the settlement fund when other costs were included, Law360 reports. At least one person has objections.

Objector Mark S. said that the deal provided little value to class members for dropping their claims, with class members getting around $3, and that the value of the settlement was much less than another TikTok privacy settlement valued at $6 million.

The lawsuit settlement had been previously delayed by U.S. District Judge John Blakely, who refused to approve it in March saying that extended deadlines for claims amidst the pandemic had not been well publicized.

Around six million parents and children have urged the Illinois federal judge to approve the $1.1 million settlement with social video app TikTok that would end a class action lawsuit accusing the company of collecting and sharing children’s personal data without parental consent.

The users argued in August that the deadlines were extended and because of that and additional advertising, an extra 86,316 claims had been filed.

“By utilizing digital ads placed through the same ad network used by Defendants’ App., additional digital ads targeting the proposed settlement class demographic, and supplementing that notice with a Settlement website and toll-free telephone number, the parties ensured that notice comported with due process and protected all Class Members’ rights,” a motion for approval reads.

The class action lawsuit was first filed in 2019 alleging that TikTok violated children’s privacy and put them in danger by collecting their email addresses, phone numbers, usernames, first and last names, bios, and photos of its users – many who were under 13 years old. 

Blakely said he would consider the arguments before reaching a written ruling.

Do you use TikTok? Tell us if you’ve ever had concerns about how the company uses your data in the comments section below!

The plaintiffs are represented by Gary M. Klinger and Gary E. Mason of Mason Leitz & Klinger LLP

The TikTok Child Data Use Class Action Lawsuit is T.K. et al., v. ByteDance Technology Co. Ltd. et al., Case No. 1:19-cv-07915 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.

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