TikTok users to receive compensation for app accessing personal data – here’s how to apply

There is $92 million to be shared among US users over allegations that TikTok ‘violated federal and state law’

(Mario Tama/Getty Images)

TikTok and Musical.ly users in the United States could be entitled to compensation from a class-action lawsuit.

A proposed $92 million settlement is pending following allegations that TikTok “violated federal and state law by collecting and using, without sufficient notice and consent … personal data in connection with their use of the TikTok - Make Your Day video-sharing application (and/or its predecessor app Musical.ly)”

TikTok denies the allegations, but on Monday put a settlement notice in the app directing users to a web page that explains how to submit their information for payment.

TikTok introduced the privacy policy allowing it to collect “biometric identifiers and iometric information”, including “faceprints and voiceprints”, in 2019 – and could not specify which products, if any, required the addition of this data.

Only a few states have biometric privacy laws – including Illinois, Washington, California, Texas and New York – and TikTok only requiring consent “where required by law” meant that users in other states would not necessarily have to be informed about the data collection, TechCrunch reported at the time.

The federal lawsuit, USA Today reports, alleges that TikTok broke Illinois biometric privacy legislation, gathering facial and fingerprint scanning without consent.

Illinois is the only state that allows people to seek monetary damages for such unauthorized data collection, and those in the state could receive six times the compensation of others in the United States.

TikTok did not respond to a request for comment from The Independent before time of publication.

To receive compensation, users must have been on the app before 30 September and should submit a claim form by 1 March 2022. Parents are able to submit claims on behalf of minors.

The forms can be submitted at the website and the settlement will either be paid via PayPal, Venmo, a virtual card, or a physical cheque.