Misredacted court documents reveal details of multi-state lawsuit against TikTok Attorneys general in 14 states are suing over claims that TikTok harms children’s mental health One document shows how the company intended to influence Sen. Mitch McConnell.
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TikTok is fighting on all fronts.
Earlier this month, attorneys general from 14 states filed a lawsuit against TikTok, arguing that its algorithms are addictive and harmful to children. This coordinated legal attack mirrors strategies the government has used in the past against large companies such as Purdue Pharma.
The company also faces a deadline set by Congress to find a new owner for the app by January or it could be banned in the United States. Lawmakers have said they are concerned that TikTok, which is owned by Chinese company ByteDance, could be forced to share U.S. users’ data with the Chinese government.
Now, internal TikTok documents included in a state lawsuit are shedding new light on how TikTok tried to influence Congress during discussions about a possible ban.
According to NPR, Kentucky Public Radio reporters were able to reproduce a heavily redacted document included in the Kentucky Attorney General’s lawsuit by pasting the redacted contents of the document into a separate file. He was able to read the section.
One of those documents revealed that TikTok planned to use users’ content to sway lawmakers, including influential Sen. Mitch McConnell, who supported banning TikTok.
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The company identified TikTok videos posted by Kentucky businesses, including a hot dog store, a record store, and a bait and ammunition store, as accounts that could be sued by McConnell, according to a complaint filed by the Kentucky attorney general. reported NPR.
In a statement to Business Insider, TikTok said the company “shared the benefits of our platform, including how 7 million small businesses across the country are using TikTok to attract new customers, grow, and create jobs. He said he regularly works to educate a wide range of policy makers.
“As is standard practice for other companies, we also monitor public sentiment on issues related to our company,” TikTok said in a statement.
Documents revealed by Kentucky Public Radio also show TikTok’s own internal investigation knew its app was addictive to children, among other findings from the state’s coordinated investigation. are also detailed.
TikTok told BI in a statement that the multi-state legal complaint “selects misleading quotes and pulls outdated documents out of context to misrepresent our commitment to community safety.” “
